His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, has indicated an intention to confer a traditional turbaning honour on the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, IgbereTV reports
This remarkable revelation came to light during a visit by the Governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, OFR, to the IPOB leader at the Sokoto Correctional Centre earlier on Sunday.
Governor Otti, who undertook the significant trip to Sokoto State, shared details of his private discussions with the Sultan regarding Kanu’s protracted detention. According to the Governor, the Sultan, a foremost national figure and spiritual leader of Nigerian Muslims, is aligned with the push for Kanu’s freedom and the de-escalation of national tensions.
“On a lighter note,” Governor Otti informed Kanu during the visit, “the Sultan of Sokoto told me that you are now his subject and he was going to turban you.” This statement reportedly elicited loud laughter from the IPOB leader, marking a rare moment of levity in his ongoing legal ordeal.
The proposed turbaning—a traditional ceremony in the Northern Nigerian aristocracy that confers a title and integrates the recipient into the Sultanate’s council—is being interpreted by observers as a potent gesture of national reconciliation and bridge-building.
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