DSS witness: No terrorism evidence found on Nnamdi Kanu, says he called Nigeria zoo

The trial of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), resumed on Friday before Justice James Omotosho at the Federal High Court in Abuja, with a key prosecution witness testifying that no instrument of terrorism was found on Kanu.

The court had earlier granted the federal government’s request for witnesses to testify behind a protective screen. Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN) appeared for the prosecution, while Kanu Agabi led the defence team.

A Department of State Services (DSS) operative, identified as AAA, testified as the prosecution’s first witness (PW1).

Under cross-examination, AAA confirmed that he was one of five officers present in the room during the interrogation shown in a video presented in court. He explained that his involvement in the case was limited to arresting Kanu, recording his statement, and escorting him to Abuja for further investigation.

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Asked about the items presented in court, AAA stated that nothing appeared outwardly offensive. He noted that while he analyzed Kanu’s phone, no formal analysis report was included in evidence because investigators deemed it irrelevant to the case.

When questioned if the items seized over the past decade had lost their value, AAA replied, “Yes.” He also confirmed that while a record of returned items exists, he was not personally responsible for keeping it.

AAA further testified that he found no instrument of violence on a woman who was with Kanu at the time and did not consider her association with him as aiding terrorism.

When asked directly by Agabi whether he found “any instrument of terrorism on the defendant,” AAA answered, “No.”

Responding to whether Kanu had named any accomplices during interrogation, AAA said the defendant mentioned no names and added he was unaware of anyone else standing trial for terrorism in connection with Kanu’s case.

“I put it to you that there’s no other person in the whole of Nigeria who is standing terrorism trial for Biafra agitation except the defendant,” Agabi asserted. AAA responded that while he knew some individuals had previously been tried alongside Kanu, he was unaware of their current legal status.

He acknowledged hearing from social media and news reports about Kanu’s supporters, including Simon Ekpa, who he said continued the agitation and was subject to an ongoing extradition process to Nigeria.

When questioned about whether Kanu was charged with property damage, AAA replied, “Maybe not personally and virtually.” He added that while there were online messages allegedly inciting violence, he could not identify anyone who had committed violence as a result.

“Kanu Called Nigeria A Zoo”
AAA testified that while he couldn’t recall if Kanu had spoken about corruption, unemployment, or underdevelopment, he remembered Kanu referring to Nigeria as “a zoo.”

Asked if Kanu had stated that IPOB was not an armed group and did not train members in the use of weapons, AAA confirmed hearing Kanu say IPOB was unarmed.

Agabi pressed further: “There have been killings in Kaduna, Zamfara, Benue, Plateau, and other parts of the North. Are those killings based on any agitation for separation?”

“To the best of my knowledge, no,” AAA replied.

When the defence lawyer noted a litany of violent incidents across Nigeria—including attacks on churches, mosques, schools, and trains—and asked if these acts were linked to separatist agitation, AAA answered, “No.”

The case, involving charges of terrorism and treasonable felony, dates back to 2015 following Kanu’s arrest in Lagos. Legal delays have hampered progress for nearly a decade, with the prosecution only able to start presenting witnesses and exhibits this week.

Initially, Kanu faced trial alongside four co-defendants until February 2018, when Justice Binta Nyako split the proceedings after Kanu fled the country. This allowed the trial to continue against the remaining defendants.
Kanu was re-arrested by Nigerian authorities in Kenya in June 2021.