Mohamed Garba
At the Federal High Court in Abuja, Justice James Omotosho admitted into evidence a series of explosive materials—including a letter from the former Attorney General, the IPOB leader’s own written statement, and multiple audio visual recordings—allegedly linking Nnamdi Kanu to incitement of violence and terrorism.
The prosecution’s second witness, known only as “BBB,” resumed testimony under lead counsel Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN. BBB tendered a June 17, 2021 letter from then Attorney General Abubakar Malami to the Department of State Services (DSS), which accused Kanu of “terrorism, murder and inciting violence against Nigerian security agencies.” The defence, led by Kanu’s lawyer Kanu Agabi, raised no objection and the document was admitted as Exhibit PWF.Reading aloud, the witness highlighted charges that Kanu “instructed, through his broadcast, that police and army seen should be brought down and their guns seized and used.”
That directive, the letter stated, precipitated attacks on police stations, correctional centres and other public property. Kanu’s Own Statement and Flash Drive of BroadcastsThe court also accepted Kanu’s written statement to the DSS dated July 17, 2021—marked Exhibit PEG—in which he declined to add further comments, insisting “I have said all I needed to say.”
More controversially, a defence objection failed to block the admission of a flash drive containing video and audio files of Kanu’s broadcasts, marked Exhibits PWA and PW1. Several clips were played in open court.
In one December 12 broadcast from what Kanu dubbed “the blessed land of Biafra,” he warned against “Fulani domination” and ordered, “No Fulani parading as herdsman shall be allowed in our land.” In another, he is heard urging followers to “Go and burn down Lagos,” “Set Murtala Mohammed Airport on fire,” and “Kill policemen, seize their guns.” Yet another clip calls for ambushes on soldiers, digging holes to cause vehicles to “somersault,” and a total sit at home in the Southeast under threat of arson.
According to BBB, Kanu “admitted that he made them.” Justice Omotosho adjourned the trial to allow the prosecution to serve all evidentiary documents on the defence and for BBB’s testimony to continue. The ruling represents a significant victory for the DSS’s case, which seeks to demonstrate that Kanu’s rhetoric crossed the line into unlawful incitement and terrorism.