The Department of State Services (DSS) has alleged that the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, played a direct role in crippling the economy of Nigeria’s South-East region through a series of inflammatory broadcasts.
This revelation came on Friday during a high-profile trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The claims were made by a DSS operative serving as the fourth prosecution witness in the ongoing trial presided over by Justice James Omotosho.
Led in evidence by senior prosecuting counsel, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), the witness testified that Kanu’s broadcasts incited IPOB’s militant wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), to enforce sit-at-home orders with violence.
“From my investigation, the defendant’s broadcasts directly contributed to economic paralysis in the South-East,” the operative stated. “They fuelled the enforcement of IPOB’s sit-at-home order, which discouraged economic activity and created widespread fear.”
The witness further alleged that Kanu smuggled a radio transmitter into Nigeria by concealing it within household items to avoid scrutiny by the Nigeria Customs Service.
The transmitter, reportedly hidden at the residence of one Benjamin Madubougu in Ihiala, Anambra State, was allegedly used to air separatist propaganda and incite violence against the Federal Government.
According to the testimony, DSS agents executed a search warrant at Madubougu’s home, where they recovered the transmitter, firearms, ammunition, Indian hemp, and Biafran currency.
A certified true copy of the search warrant—issued by the Ihiala Chief Magistrate Court on October 28, 2015—was admitted into evidence.
Also submitted to the court was a video in which Kanu appeared to inspect the transmitter. In the footage, he reportedly described the device as a “game changer” and a “nuclear weapon” for the Biafran cause.
The video also showed Kanu issuing threats to South-East residents who might defy IPOB’s sit-at-home directive scheduled for May 31, 2021.
Additionally, the prosecution presented a flash drive containing 18 video clips and 16 audio recordings of Kanu’s broadcasts.
A statement from Madubougu was also tendered, where he confirmed that no customs documentation was provided for the transmitter.
In a controversial move, the court admitted a Vanguard newspaper article in which an alleged ESN member claimed that Kanu ordered the collection of 2,000 human heads for burial rites, though only 30 were reportedly obtained.
Defence counsel Dr Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN) strongly objected to the inclusion of the article, but the court admitted it alongside a certificate of compliance.
The prosecution further requested that the court visit the DSS facility in the Presidential Villa, Abuja, to inspect the container housing the recovered transmitter and related evidence.
Justice Omotosho granted the request, stating, “The court is duty-bound to examine all evidence thoroughly in the pursuit of justice.”
The trial was adjourned to allow for the scheduled physical inspection, with the court set to reconvene following the exercise.
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