Nnamdi Kanu admits to operating illegal radio station, inciting attacks on police – Witness

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday heard testimony revealing that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the self-acclaimed leader of the banned Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), admitted to operating an illegal radio station and inciting public attacks on police officers.

The testimony was presented by an official of the Department of State Services (DSS), who appeared as the second prosecution witness (PW2) in Kanu’s ongoing terrorism trial before Justice James Omotosho.

The witness, identified only by the acronym BBB, testified behind a court-screen for anonymity. He stated that Kanu confirmed his involvement in illegal activities when giving his statement to authorities.

Under questioning by prosecuting lawyer Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), the witness revealed that Kanu, in addition to being the leader of IPOB, was the founder of the Eastern Security Network (ESN), which is considered the armed wing of IPOB. BBB also revealed that Kanu ran an illegal radio station, Radio Biafra, operating on the unlicensed frequencies 102.1 FM and 88.0 FM, which violated regulations set by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC).

BBB explained that, in July 2021, he was tasked with obtaining Kanu’s statement after a letter from the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) instructed the DSS to investigate Kanu for alleged terrorism-related activities. During the session, BBB presented recordings of Kanu’s broadcasts where the defendant allegedly incited violence, including calls for attacks on police officers.

Kanu reportedly acknowledged that the voice in the broadcast was his own, confirming the inciting remarks.

When asked about Kanu’s motivations, BBB said the IPOB leader had sought the secession of the five southeastern states, along with parts of Kogi and Benue states, from Nigeria.

The witness also confirmed that the statement-taking process was recorded on video. The prosecution then sought to submit the AGF’s letter, the video recording, and a certificate of compliance as evidence.

However, Kanu’s defense lawyer, Kanu Agabi (SAN), objected, arguing that the defense had not been provided with copies of the letter or video in advance, asserting that this violated Kanu’s rights to fair trial.

In response, Justice Omotosho ruled that the defense was entitled to all documents and materials the prosecution intended to use, and ordered that the prosecution serve these documents to the defense. The case was adjourned until May 7, for the defense to be served and for PW2 to continue his testimony.

Earlier, the first prosecution witness (PW1, identified as PWAAA), completed his testimony after being cross-examined by Agabi. Under cross-examination, PW1 confirmed that Kanu had been charged with inciting attacks on police officers, but was unaware that certain charges had been dropped.

In a separate development, Justice Omotosho ordered that Favour Kanu, the defendant’s sister-in-law, be barred from attending further court sessions after she admitted to streaming the court proceedings live on social media, which is prohibited. Despite her apology, the judge maintained the decision for her to vacate the courtroom.