Court to decide on Nigerian government’s evidence in Kanu’s trial

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday paused proceedings in the trial of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), to deliver a ruling on whether evidence submitted by the Nigerian government will be accepted.

Justice James Omotosho, who is presiding over the case, halted the session after both prosecution and defence teams presented oral arguments and adopted their written submissions concerning the disputed evidence.

Prosecutors, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Suraj Saida, are attempting to introduce statements they say were made by Kanu while in detention. But Kanu’s legal team, headed by SAN Paul Erokoro, has objected, arguing the statements were obtained through coercion.

The court had earlier ordered a trial-within-a-trial to assess the voluntariness of the statements after Kanu contested their legitimacy.

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According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Kanu testified that operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) forced him to make the statements. He alleged he was denied access to legal representation, threatened with indefinite detention, and not granted his medically necessary hour of fresh air.

Kanu further claimed that a DSS official, Mr. Brown Ukuaba—identified as an Assistant Director of Investigation—pressured him to implicate former President Goodluck Jonathan and former Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha.“They asked me to say things that were not mine,” Kanu told the court.

He also told the court that he was held in solitary confinement in an underground cell and that video recordings of his interviews were edited to distort the truth.

The Nigerian government has denied all allegations of coercion.

A DSS officer who took the stand as a prosecution witness rejected Kanu’s version of events. He insisted the IPOB leader was not mistreated in any way. According to the officer, Kanu was treated respectfully during questioning, offered bottled water, and all his concerns were taken seriously.“He spoke voluntarily and truthfully in the interviews,” the witness stated, expressing surprise at the allegations.

The trial-within-a-trial was convened to enable the court to determine the credibility of the contested statements before deciding if they can be used as evidence in the main proceedings.

Kanu, who faces charges including treasonable felony, terrorism, and incitement, was first arrested in 2015. He later fled the country while on bail but was brought back to Nigeria in 2021 under controversial circumstances.

His extended detention and ongoing legal battle continue to provoke intense debate on human rights and political freedoms within Nigeria and internationally.

Justice Omotosho is expected to rule on the admissibility of the disputed statements following the stand-down. The trial is set to resume thereafter.