A witness in the trial of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), on Tuesday told the Federal High Court in Abuja that Kanu admitted to inciting members of the public to attack police officers during interrogation.
NAIJAONPOINT , identified only as “BBB” for security reasons, is an operative of the State Security Service (SSS). He testified before Justice James Omotosho while being led in evidence by the Federal Government’s counsel, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN. BBB is the second prosecution witness (PW-2) and testified from behind a screen provided by the court.
NAIJAONPOINT said Kanu, in addition to being the leader of IPOB, is also the founder of the Eastern Security Network (ESN), the armed wing of IPOB. He further told the court that Kanu operated an unlicensed radio station broadcasting on frequencies 102.1 FM and 88.0 FM.
Asked if he had any encounter with Kanu, NAIJAONPOINT said he was assigned to take Kanu’s statement on July 17, 2021, following a letter from the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) requesting an investigation into Kanu’s alleged terrorist activities. The AGF’s letter, he said, was addressed to the Director General of the SSS.
BBB stated that he carried out the assignment with four colleagues, including a director. He presented the AGF’s letter to Kanu, who read it and shared it with his lawyers before volunteering to make a statement in the presence of two of them, including Aloy Ejimakor.
NAIJAONPOINT testified that he played some recordings from Kanu’s radio station, Radio Biafra, which included inciting statements and calls for attacks on police officers. Kanu, he said, admitted ownership of the broadcasts.
When asked about Kanu’s motive, BBB told the court that Kanu sought the secession of the five South-East states, as well as parts of Kogi and Benue, from the rest of Nigeria. He added that the statement-taking session was recorded on video.
Chief Awomolo sought to tender the AGF’s letter and the video recording as evidence. However, defence counsel Chief Kanu Agabi, SAN, objected, arguing that the documents were not part of the proof of evidence earlier served on the defence. He requested an adjournment to allow time for review.
Awomolo explained that he had only recently taken over the case and the omission could have been an oversight. He expressed willingness to serve all necessary documents and did not oppose an adjournment.
Justice Omotosho ruled in favour of the defence, ordering the prosecution to serve all documents and materials it intends to rely upon in accordance with Section 36 of the Constitution. He adjourned the matter to May 7 for continuation of PW-2’s testimony.
Earlier, the first prosecution witness (PW-1), identified as “AAA,” also an SSS operative, concluded his testimony after cross-examination by Agabi and re-examination by Awomolo. Under cross-examination, AAA said he was consulted in the investigation before charges were filed but was unaware that eight of the original 15 counts against Kanu had been struck out by the court in an earlier ruling.
Before proceedings began, Justice Omotosho expressed concern over the number of lawyers accompanying both lead counsels. He stated that due to the small courtroom, only 16 out of the 29 lawyers listed for the defence had been approved to participate.
He also addressed an incident involving Mrs. Favour Kanu, wife of Kanu’s younger brother, Prince Fineboy. The judge questioned her for live-streaming court proceedings despite a prior warning and the confiscation of her phone. Mrs. Kanu apologised, saying she did not realise the judge was still seated when the live stream was initiated. Chief Agabi also apologised on her behalf.
Justice Omotosho barred Mrs. Kanu from attending the next three sittings and cautioned that repeated infractions could lead to restricted access to the courtroom. He assured all parties that justice would be served and warned against actions that could delay the trial.