No evidence that Nigerian jihadists attacked Sokoto prison holding Biafra separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu
IN SHORT: A post circulating on Facebook in late November 2025 claims that jihadists have attacked Sokoto, a city in Nigeria's north-west region, targeting the prison holding Biafra separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu. But there is no evidence of the attack.
Jihadists have attacked Sokoto, a city in north-western Nigeria, targeting the prison where Biafra separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu is held.
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That's according to a "breaking news" report circulating on Facebook in late November 2025.
Part of the report reads:
Breaking News: Information reaching our newsroom reveals that Fulani jihadists are allegedly launching a coordinated attack in Sokoto, targeting the facility where Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is being held.According to early eyewitness reports, heavy gunfire is raining down on the prison, with multiple cells reportedly set ablaze as the attackers attempt to breach the facility.At the moment, the whereabouts of Nnamdi Kanu remain unknown, creating rising tension and deep concern among observers.
It has been reposted in several public Facebook groups, including one with over 432,000 members.
The claim also appears here, here and here. (Note: See more instances at the end of this report.)
After a decade on trial on treason and terrorism charges, Kanu was convicted and sentenced to life in prison on 20 November.
The judge, James Omotosho, ruled that the prosecution proved that Kanu's broadcasts and orders to members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob), which he founded, incited deadly attacks on security forces and citizens in the south-east.
Biafra is a region whose secession in May 1967 led to a 30-month civil war. It was reintegrated into Nigeria in January 1970 when the war ended. Kanu and Ipob are seeking the restoration of Biafra.
He was first arrested in October 2015 and slapped with charges bordering on terrorism and treasonable felony, among others, over his involvement in agitating for Biafra's independence.
Kanu jumped bail and left the country in September 2017 after a military raid on his home. The court revoked his bail in March 2019 and ordered his re-arrest.
He was re-arrested in Kenya in June 2021 and placed in the custody of the Department of State Services in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, while he faced trial.
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After he was sentenced, Kanu was moved from DSS custody in Abuja to a prison in Sokoto.
But have jihadists attacked the Sokoto prison holding Kanu? We checked.
No evidence of claim, wrong photo
Considering the wide media coverage of Kanu's case, an attack on the Sokoto prison less than a week after his arrival there would have been reported.
We found no media reports on an attack on the Sokoto prison. Keyword searches returned no results that support the claim.
One of the photos accompanying the posts shows a damaged building cordoned off with police tape. But a reverse image search shows the photo is from a July 2022 jailbreak at the Kuje maximum prison in Abuja.
Jihadists attacked the Kuje prison with explosives. Nearly 900 inmates, including members of the terror group Boko Haram, escaped.
Sokoto is about 700 kilometres north of Abuja.
There is no evidence of an attack at the Sokoto prison in November 2025. The claim that jihadists attacked the prison after Kanu's arrival is false.
