A Department of State Service (DSS) operative has testified that Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), admitted to smuggling a Biafra Radio transmitter into Anambra State in 2015.
The witness, codenamed PWCCC, told the Abuja Federal High Court on Wednesday that Kanu confessed during interrogation to setting up the radio station at Ubuluisiuzor in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State.
According to the DSS operative, Kanu established Radio Biafra "to advance the self-determination cause of the people of South-East region of the country."
The court was shown a video clip from November 4, 2015, in which Kanu allegedly admitted to inspecting the radio transmitter he installed in Anambra State. This video was admitted as evidence in the ongoing terrorism trial.
Earlier this month, the DSS had tendered audio recordings of Kanu's broadcasts from the radio station as exhibits. The prosecution claims these broadcasts incited violence, with a DSS officer testifying that Kanu's messages prompted his supporters to attack prominent Nigerians and institutions.
Drama Over Statement Admissibility
Drama ensued in court when the Federal Government's lawyer, Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, attempted to tender one of Kanu's statements as evidence. After reviewing the document with his lead counsel, Chief Kanu Agabi, SAN, the IPOB leader claimed he made the statement under duress.
Kanu alleged that he was coerced while being transported from Lagos to Abuja, claiming a DSS officer struck him and that he was chained and blindfolded. He further stated that the statement, which reportedly contained self-incriminating information about IPOB activities, was made without his lawyer present.
During cross-examination, Kanu maintained that his 2015 detention by the DSS was without a court order and that the interviews were conducted in an unconducive atmosphere without legal representation.
The DSS witness, however, refuted these allegations, insisting that the interviews were conducted "in the most conducive and harmonious atmosphere" and urged the court to dismiss Kanu's claims as "baseless, unfounded and an afterthought."
Following these conflicting accounts, Justice James Omotosho ordered a trial-within-trial to determine the admissibility of the statement. He directed both legal teams to prepare and file their written addresses by May 29, with adoption scheduled for noon on Friday and a ruling on the statement's admissibility expected by 2:00 pm the same day.
The judge subsequently adjourned further proceedings to May 29, 2025.
