Sokoto refutes claim Aliyu joined Otti’s prison visit to Kanu

The Sokoto State Government has dismissed reports claiming Governor Ahmed Aliyu accompanied Abia State Governor Alex Otti during his visit to IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu at the Sokoto Custodial Centre.

In a statement on Friday, Aliyu’s spokesman, Abubakar Bawa, said the claim was false, insisting the governor was in Saudi Arabia performing the Lesser Hajj on November 30, 2025—the day Otti visited the state.

According to the government, Otti was received at the Sultan Abubakar III International Airport by commissioners and special advisers, who later hosted him at the Government House as part of the formal courtesies extended to visiting state governors.

“Sokoto people are known for their hospitality.

“We treat our visitors with utmost respect, regardless of tribe or religion,” the statement said.

The government reiterated that Governor Aliyu remains committed to national unity, respects constituted authority, and maintains a peaceful, law-abiding profile.

The clarification follows heightened public interest after Otti’s private visit to Kanu—a visit IPOB described as “historic” and “surprising.”

Otti was accompanied by Kanu’s younger brother, Emmanuel Kanu, Abia’s Attorney General, Ikechukwu Uwanna (SAN), and his media aide, Ferdinand Ekeoma.

Kanu was on November 20, 2025, sentenced to life imprisonment by the Federal High Court for terrorism-related offences.