A prosecution witness from the Department of State Services (DSS) on Wednesday told the Federal High Court in Abuja that broadcasts by Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), incited violence in the South-East region, leading to the deaths of up to 200 security personnel.
Testifying under the pseudonym PWDDD, the fourth prosecution witness alleged that Kanu used Radio Biafra to issue directives targeting security operatives and other individuals. The DSS operative said the separatist leader’s speeches provoked violent actions by IPOB and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), including the killing of former presidential aide Ahmed Gulak, who was assassinated in Owerri on May 30, 2021.
Kanu is currently on trial for a seven-count charge bordering on terrorism and treasonable felony, charges to which he has pleaded not guilty.
Led in evidence by prosecution counsel Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, the witness detailed the alleged operational tactics of IPOB and ESN. He claimed that in one of Kanu’s broadcasts, he ordered the invasion of the Owerri prison and commanded his followers to kill security operatives. The DSS official also testified that Kanu once demanded that a deceased ESN commander, Ikonso, be buried with “2,000 heads,” although only 30 were reportedly obtained.
Further in his testimony, the witness described a raid on an ESN hideout, where seven members were found with human heads and some consuming human flesh, allegedly for “spiritual fortification.” He described the ESN as a militant group that carried out armed attacks, including on traditional rulers, and resorted to hijacking vehicles to compensate for limited logistics.
The court also heard that Kanu imported a radio transmitter into the country illegally. The device, according to the DSS, was discovered at a premises in Ubuluisiuzor, Anambra State. The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), which was invited to inspect the equipment, later confirmed in a report that the German-made FM transmitter was never licensed for use in Nigeria.
The witness said Kanu used the transmitter to broadcast from Nigeria and had created a video showing himself inspecting the equipment, intended to reassure IPOB members who had contributed funds for its purchase. He added that the equipment was traced using analysis of the video.
During cross-examination by defence counsel Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, the witness admitted there was no record of the transmitter’s importation and said he could not confirm when it was brought into the country. He also said he was unaware of any involvement by Benka Clearing and Forwarding or Chief Isaac Maduka in clearing the equipment, as claimed by the defence.
Ikpeazu further asked whether the witness was aware that Radio Biafra was registered in London and broadcast from there. The DSS operative replied that when Kanu was arrested in Lagos in 2015, he was found in possession of broadcast equipment, but he was not personally involved in the arrest and only relied on information from colleagues.
He clarified that two guns allegedly linked to the case were not found inside the transmitter container but rather under the mattress of one Benjamin Madubugu, who was later charged with illegal possession of firearms. The witness added that the container was imported by one Igwe Anyiba, who currently resides outside Nigeria.
The witness also said he was not aware of any official statement by the Imo State government indicating that Gulak’s killing was politically motivated.
After the cross-examination, Justice James Omotosho discharged the witness and adjourned the trial to June 19 for the prosecution to present its fifth witness.
