A WITNESS from the Department of State Services (DSS) testified before the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday stating that between 170 and 200 security personnel have lost their lives as a result of the activities of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in the South East of Nigeria.
The witness, identified as ‘DDD’ for security reasons, presented his testimony before Justice James Omotosho in the ongoing terrorism trial of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of IPOB.
DDD, the fourth prosecution witness (PW-4), was led in evidence by the Federal Government’s counsel, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN.
DDD stated that IPOB and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), have been responsible for the deaths of numerous security operatives in the region. He further confirmed that two DSS officials, including his driver, were among the victims.
The witness reiterated that the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) did not issue a license to Kanu for the importation of the radio transmitter allegedly smuggled into Nigeria to operate Radio Biafra.
According to DDD, the transmitter was recovered from a premises in Ubuluisiuzor, Anambra State, and transported to Abuja. The DSS subsequently requested the NBC to inspect the equipment.
On November 9, 2015, an NBC engineer examined the transmitter and submitted a report, which confirmed that: the equipment was a German-made FM radio transmitter; its procurement and installation required prior licensing, which Radio Biafra did not obtain.
DDD emphasized that investigations revealed no application was made by Kanu for the transmitter’s operation, confirming its illegal importation.
The witness referenced publications from Vanguard Newspaper, where an arrested ESN commander, Uzuoma Benjamin (aka Onye Army), reportedly confessed to receiving directives from Kanu.
Key allegations included:
Kanu allegedly ordered the killing of security personnel.
A directive that deceased ESN commander Ikonso be buried with 2,000 human heads (though only 30 were reportedly obtained).
Claims that ESN members used human heads for spiritual fortification.
DDD also detailed the May 30, 2021, killing of Ahmed Gulak, former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, in Owerri, Imo State. According to his testimony; Gulak was ambushed by IPOB members at a checkpoint while en route to the airport; he was identified as a non-Igbo speaker and shot after a Muslim prayer mark was spotted on his forehead.
The witness stated that Kanu, through broadcasts, allegedly incited the April 2021 attack on Owerri Correctional Centre, leading to the release of inmates and the killing of security operatives.
Additionally, he cited multiple attacks on police stations, public property, and traditional rulers’ residences in the Southeast, attributing them to IPOB/ESN operations.
Under cross-examination by the defense counsel, Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, DDD admitted that there was no official record of the transmitter’s importation; that he was not present during Kanu’s 2016 arrest in Lagos but relied on second-hand information; that the two firearms recovered were found under the mattress of Benjamin Madubugu, not in the transmitter’s container.
Following the conclusion of DDD’s testimony, Justice Omotosho discharged him and adjourned the case to June 19, 2024, for further proceedings. (NAN)
