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The long-running trial of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), took a dramatic turn Friday as a key government witness admitted under cross-examination that no weapons or instruments of terrorism were found on Kanu.
Appearing before Justice James Omotosho at the Federal High Court, Abuja, an operative of the Department of State Services (DSS), identified only as “AAA,” confirmed to the court that despite a decade-long investigation, no physical evidence directly linking Kanu to acts of violence had been recovered.
AAA, who testified behind a screen for security reasons, said his role was limited to arresting Kanu, taking his statement, and escorting him to Abuja. Asked whether anything seized from Kanu was overtly “offensive” or incriminating, AAA responded: “No.”
When pressed on whether any of Kanu’s confiscated items contained evidence of terrorism, the witness conceded that only his phone had been analyzed — and even that analysis was deemed immaterial to the case.
“Do you agree that in the 10 years since you confiscated these items, many of them have lost their use?” defense counsel Kanu Agabi, SAN, asked. “Yes,” AAA admitted.
The DSS operative further testified that no weapons were found on a woman arrested alongside Kanu, and that her association with the IPOB leader was not considered terrorism-related.
In a notable exchange, Agabi asserted: “There’s no other person in the whole of Nigeria standing terrorism trial for Biafra agitation except the defendant.” AAA replied that while others had been charged earlier, he was unaware of the status of those trials.
He acknowledged reading about Kanu’s supporters, including Simon Ekpa, on social media and in newspapers, adding that efforts were underway to extradite Ekpa from Finland.
Pressed on whether Kanu had personally incited anyone to commit violence, AAA said he couldn’t name a single individual who acted on such alleged incitement, despite social media statements attributed to Kanu.
The DSS operative also confirmed that Kanu repeatedly referred to Nigeria as “a zoo” in his broadcasts, though he couldn’t recall Kanu speaking about youth unemployment or corruption.
Agabi challenged the narrative linking IPOB to violence, citing killings and kidnappings across northern Nigeria unrelated to separatist agitation. AAA agreed those atrocities were not connected to Biafra advocacy.
The high-profile case, which began in 2015 following Kanu’s arrest, has faced years of delays and legal twists. Originally charged alongside four co-defendants, Kanu’s case was severed in 2018 after he fled the country. He was re-arrested in Kenya in 2021, reigniting legal battles that have kept Nigeria and the international community watching closely.
Kanu faces charges of terrorism and treasonable felony. His supporters argue that he is being persecuted for his political beliefs rather than genuine criminal activity.
The trial continues.
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