The Department of State Services has presented evidence against the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, who is facing terrorism charges before a Federal High Court in Abuja.
This is as an operative of the DSS, who is testifying for the Federal Government in the trial, disclosed that the IPOB leader was not with any weapon when he was arrested in October 2015 in Lagos.
The witness, codenamed PWAAA, while testifying before Justice James Omotosho of the court on Friday, said he was assigned, alongside other team members, to arrest Kanu at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Lagos.
At the previous sitting, the witness, who was led in evidence by the Federal Government’s counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, had told the court that he had been in service with the DSS for 18 years.
Among the witnesses’ evidence presented at the court was a video recording of Kanu’s interrogation by DSS officials, which was played in the courtroom.
Kanu’s written statement, made on October 15, 2015, at the DSS office, was also read in the court.
In the statement, Kanu admitted establishing Radio Biafra in London. He said the radio wasn’t registered in Nigeria because he knew he wouldn’t be issued a licence.
According to the statement, Kanu said he was interrogated by the DSS without his lawyer present, saying he answered the questions asked him to the best of his ability.
The witness also stated that upon Kanu’s arrest, the items recovered from him were his personal property and radio equipment.
The DSS brought the items to court in four suitcases.
Items recovered from Kanu and admitted as exhibits include: “one black laptop, two multi-mix transmitters, one mini white Apple iPad with pouch, one grey Apple iPad with pouch, one grey MacBook with pouch, one grey MacBook with case, one mini drone sound wave speaker, two mini white speakers, one large computer mouse, one white adaptor, one laptop adaptor and one carton bag with laptop.”
Others are: “Two 3G modems, two Glo modems, one Glo Huawei modem, one MTN modem, one Etisalat modem, one flash drive, one camcorder, one hand recorder in a black pouch, one MacBook Pro adaptor, one mic stand, one Philips headphone, one radio Sharp mic with cord, one Pro Sound mic with cord, one 4G LTE modem, a bunch of cards, one power adaptor for mixer, one Easy Blaze white modem, one Samsung phone, one black Motorola phone and one Nokia phone, among others.”
At the resumed trial on Friday, PWAAA, under cross-examination by Kanu’s lead counsel, Kanu Agabi, SAN, told the court that there were other people, including pro-Biafran agitator Simon Ekpa, working with Kanu in the secessionist agitation.
Agabi asked the witness if there were other persons, aside from the defendant, being prosecuted over the agitation, which he answered in the negative.
However, the DSS operative said, “I am aware that Simon Ekpa was arrested in a foreign country and the Nigerian government is in the process of extraditing him.”
Agabi again asked the witness if the defendant was charged with damaging any public property.
Responding to the question, PWAAA said, “What I know is that some of the charges relate to terrorism, which includes violence to achieve an aim or coerce the government.”
When the defence counsel asked if Kanu was being charged for violence, the witness said, “Not personally but remotely. I know there was a time the IPOB leader instructed people to attack government property,” the witness alleged.
The witness added that he didn’t remember Kanu complaining of corruption in high places, unemployment among youths, or tendering apologies.
He said Kanu had not shown remorse for the insulting remarks he made, saying, “I don’t remember Kanu apologising for calling Nigeria a zoo.”
The witness also said he could not remember when Kanu described IPOB as a voluntary organisation that was not involved in carrying arms against the nation.
He admitted that there were killings in some parts of the country, especially in the North, but the government was doing its best to stem the tide of the killings.
The witness also said he would not know whether the killings were as a result of self-determination agitation.
Speaking further, the witness told the court that although all the items recovered in the hotel room where Kanu was arrested were his personal property, which may not be perceived to be offensive ordinarily, the intention of the defendant may be.
He also told the court that he didn’t analyse any of the items because his mandate was to effect the arrest and obtain a statement from Kanu.
PWAAA, however, admitted to analysing the cell phone of Kanu, but the findings weren’t shared with the court.
He admitted that Kanu’s statement was obtained without the presence of his lawyer.
The case was adjourned to May 6, 7 and 8 for continuation of cross-examination as agreed by parties in the suit.
