The Federal High Court in Abuja has admitted into evidence three video clips in the ongoing terrorism trial of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), including a clip showing him inspecting a Radio Biafra transmitter.
The transmitter, identified as “Tram 50L”, was reportedly smuggled into Nigeria and kept in Ubuluisiuzor, Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State, where Kanu was seen conducting an inspection.
This development emerged during the resumed hearing of the trial-within-trial, where Kanu claimed that the statements he made in October and November 2015 were obtained under duress.
During the session, the third prosecution witness, identified as Mr CCC, an operative of the Department of State Services (DSS), rejected the accusation that Kanu was coerced or threatened with solitary confinement to extract confessions.
The defendant had alleged that a DSS operative named Mr Brown threatened him with isolation in a “dungeon,” but the witness countered the claim:
“The names of the officers who took part in the interview are James, Ibrahim, and Collins,” he said, adding, “with no Mr Brown among them.”
He further testified that Kanu was treated with respect and dignity:
“The defendant was given presidential treatment,” he stated, expressing disbelief over the suggestion that force or intimidation was used to elicit statements.
Kanu’s alleged confessions included inflammatory remarks directed at former Nigerian presidents and public figures:
The DSS operative noted that Kanu referred to former Presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari in offensive terms and accused Senator Rochas Okorocha of “Islamising” his people.
These remarks, the witness said, were made during an interview Kanu granted to the US-based platform Sahara Reporters, where he also referred to Nigeria as a “zoo.”
The prosecution submitted three written statements Kanu made at DSS headquarters on October 23, 24, and November 4, 2015, as well as video recordings of his oral statements from October 21 and 23.
Trial-Within-Trial on Statement Admissibility
Presiding Judge Justice James Omotosho explained the necessity of the current proceedings:
“It is law that whenever an issue of involuntariness is raised, the Evidence Act and the law require that an order for trial within trial be made to determine whether a statement was taken under duress or otherwise.”
He added:
“Establishing duress would, therefore, make the statement in contention inadmissible.”
In the three video recordings presented in court, Kanu is seen admitting:
He is “the founder and director of Radio Biafra,” and he claimed that the Biafra struggle receives international support:
“The Biafra cause enjoys funding across the globe from all those who believe in the ideals of the secessionist agenda,” Kanu said, adding that IPOB has representatives in “over 80 countries.”
Kanu also testified during the trial-within-trial, alleging that he was assaulted during his arrest in Lagos in 2015:
“I was struck by a DSS operative when I was picked up in Lagos,” he said, though he added that “the same operative later apologised on their way to the airport en route to Abuja.”
Justice Omotosho adjourned the hearing to Thursday, May 29, when the court is expected to continue proceedings and deliver a ruling on the admissibility of the disputed statements.
