Sokoto Prison Visit, Routine Christmas Outreach- Kukah
The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, has clarified that his recent visit to the Nigeria Correctional Centre in Sokoto was a routine Christmas pastoral outreach, dismissing suggestions that it was linked to any political agenda.
Kukah visited the facility on Friday, December 18, 2025, as part of his annual Christmas tradition of engaging with inmates and other marginalised groups.
He was accompanied by priests, religious and lay members of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, and was received by the Controller of the Nigeria Correctional Service, Sokoto State Command, alongside senior officers.
During the visit, the bishop held separate interactive sessions with male and female inmates, which lasted about three hours.
Several inmates complained of prolonged detention without trial and delays in the administration of justice.
“Some of us have been here for years without being convicted,” an inmate spokesperson told the bishop, urging him to “use his voice to speak to the Federal Government for pardon or a review of our cases.”
The inmates also called for improved welfare, better living conditions and access to vocational and skills acquisition programmes to aid reintegration after release.
Responding, Kukah urged the inmates not to lose hope, describing incarceration as a period for personal reflection and renewal.
“Your present condition should not define your future. Use this period for renewal so that when you return to society, you can contribute positively,” he said.
The bishop assured them that he would engage relevant authorities and professionals where concerns about justice and prolonged detention were raised.
“Where there are questions about justice, silence is not an option,” Kukah added.
Kukah’s visit drew public attention because of the continued detention of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, at the Sokoto correctional facility, amid ongoing national debate over prolonged pretrial detention and the administration of justice.
