Nnamdi Kanu admitted inciting public to attack police, witness tells court
By Soni Daniel
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| Nnamdi Kalu |
A Federal High Court in Abuja heard testimony on Tuesday from an official of the Department of State Services (DSS) stating that Nnamdi Kanu, the self-acclaimed leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), admitted to operating an illegal radio station and inciting members of the public to attack police officers. The DSS official, identified only as BBB, served as the second prosecution witness (PW2) in Kanu's ongoing terrorism trial before Justice James Omotosho.
To protect his identity, the witness testified behind a screen provided by the court. He stated that Kanu confirmed these activities while giving his statement to the DSS.
Led in evidence by prosecuting lawyer, Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), BBB testified that Kanu, in addition to being the leader of the proscribed IPOB, is also the founder of the Eastern Security Network (ESN), the armed wing of IPOB.
The witness further stated that Kanu operated an illegal radio station, broadcasting on frequencies 102.1 FM and 88.0 FM. According to BBB, the radio station was deemed illegal because it was not licensed by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC).
BBB testified that in July 2021, he was assigned the duty of taking Kanu's statement following a letter from the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) requesting that the IPOB leader be investigated for his alleged terrorism activities.
The witness said he carried out the assignment in the presence of four other colleagues. He stated that he handed Kanu the letter from the AGF, which the defendant read and also allowed his lawyers to read. Following this, he requested that Kanu respond to the issues raised in the letter.
According to BBB, after reading the letter, Kanu voluntarily agreed to make a statement in the presence of two of his lawyers, including Alloy Ejimakor.
The witness said he played excerpts of the broadcasts made by Kanu on his radio station (Radio Biafra), including instances where Kanu called for the attack on police officers and made other inciting comments.
Witness BBB testified that Kanu admitted that the voice in the broadcast recordings he played was his own.
Regarding the specific issues that Kanu was agitating for, the witness said Kanu sought the secession of the five South East states, along with parts of Kogi and Benue states, from the rest of Nigeria.
The witness also testified that the defendant's statement-taking session was recorded on video.
At this point in the proceedings, Awomolo presented the witness with a copy of a compact disc, which BBB identified as containing the video recording of his interaction with Kanu.
Awomolo then applied to tender the letter from the AGF, the compact disc, and a certificate of compliance as evidence.
However, defense lawyer Kanu Agabi (SAN) objected to the prosecution's application to tender these items, arguing that the defense had not been served with either the AGF letter or the video recording.
Agabi argued that it was a fundamental right of the defendant to be provided with copies of all documents and materials that the prosecution intended to rely on in prosecuting the case.
Awomolo assured the court that he was prepared to furnish the defendant with all the necessary documents and materials that the prosecution intended to rely on.
In his ruling, Justice James Omotosho affirmed that the defense was indeed entitled to all documents and materials that the prosecution planned to use in the case.
Justice Omotosho then ordered the prosecution to, in accordance with Section 36 of the Constitution, serve on the defendant all facilities, including documents, that it intends to rely on to prosecute the case.
Following an application by Awomolo, Justice Omotosho adjourned the proceedings until May 7 to allow the prosecution to serve the defense with all the necessary documents and for PW2 to continue his testimony.
Earlier in the proceedings, PW1, identified as PWAAA, concluded his testimony after being cross-examined by Agabi and re-examined by Awomolo.
During cross-examination by Agabi, the witness stated that he was consulted in relation to the role he played in the case as an investigator before the charge was filed.
The witness also stated that he was aware that Kanu was charged with inciting others to attack members of the police force, but that he was not aware that the defendant was initially charged with 15 counts.