The Department of State Services (DSS) has denied assaulting the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, insisting that he was treated with dignity and even accorded what it described as “presidential treatment” while in custody.
This was disclosed on Wednesday during the resumed hearing of Kanu’s terrorism trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
A DSS operative, identified only by the code name “Mr CCC,” made the statement during a trial-within-trial initiated to determine whether Kanu’s confessional statements were made voluntarily or under duress.
The trial follows claims by Kanu that his statements to the DSS in October and November 2015 were extracted through coercion and threats, including the prospect of solitary confinement.
Kanu also testified that he was slapped by an operative upon his arrest in Lagos in 2015 before being flown to Abuja. He claimed another officer, identified as “Mr Brown,” threatened him during detention.
However, Mr CCC, the third prosecution witness, denied any such treatment, asserting that Kanu was never assaulted or threatened and that the DSS maintained professional conduct throughout his detention.
He clarified that no operative named “Mr Brown” participated in the interrogation, identifying those involved as James, Ibrahim, and Collins.
“Kanu was treated with what I would call presidential treatment,” Mr CCC told the court, adding that the IPOB leader was not subjected to any form of intimidation.
The DSS also presented video evidence to support the admissibility of Kanu’s statements.
The footage, recorded on October 21 and 23, 2015, showed Kanu making verbal confessions, including acknowledging himself as the founder and director of Radio Biafra.
He reportedly admitted that IPOB received funding from abroad and had representatives in over 80 countries.
One video also showed him inspecting a radio transmitter, known as “Tram 50L,” allegedly smuggled into Nigeria and stationed at Ubuluisiuzor in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State.
The court is now set to determine the admissibility of three written statements made by Kanu on October 23, 24, and November 4, 2015, and the accompanying video recordings.
The presiding judge, Justice James Omotosho, emphasized the importance of the trial-within-trial, noting that under Nigerian law, any statement obtained under duress is inadmissible in court.
He also stated that the absence of Kanu’s lawyer at the time the statements were taken would be considered in his final ruling.
Justice Omotosho adjourned the case until Thursday, May 29, for the continuation of the trial and ruling on the admissibility of the contested statements.