“Nnamdi Kanu Had No Weapon Of Terrorism During Arrest” – DSS Witness Tells Court

The trial of the embattled leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu resumed Friday at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

A Department of State Services (DSS) officer testified that no weapon or terrorist-related item was found on the IPOB leader.

The court session, presided over by Justice James Omotosho, included cross-examination of the prosecution’s first witness—an undercover DSS agent identified only as “AAA.”

The witness gave evidence from behind a screen, in line with the court’s approval for witnesses to remain concealed.

Representing the Federal Government was senior lawyer Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), while Kanu’s defence team was led by former Attorney General of the Federation, Kanu Agabi.

The DSS officer, AAA, confirmed that he was part of the team that arrested Kanu and transported him to Abuja.

He said his role involved taking Kanu’s statement but denied playing a major part in interrogations.

When asked about the items seized during the arrest, AAA said he personally examined Kanu’s phone but found nothing of importance worth adding to the case.

He confirmed there were no weapons or tools of violence found on Kanu or the woman who was with him at the time.

AAA also confirmed that in the decade since Kanu’s belongings were taken, some of those items may no longer be relevant.

He added that while the DSS kept records of items returned to Kanu, he didn’t handle those records himself.

When asked directly if Nnamdi Kanu was found with anything tied to terrorism, he replied, “No.”

He also said Kanu did not name anyone working with him, nor was he aware of any co-defendants currently standing trial alongside him for terrorism.

Agabi, Kanu’s lawyer, pointed out that Kanu appears to be the only person currently facing terrorism charges for agitating for Biafra.

AAA responded that although others had once been charged with him, he didn’t know what became of their cases.

The witness acknowledged reading online that individuals like Simon Ekpa continued Biafra-related campaigns and that the government is working on extraditing Ekpa back to Nigeria.

Asked if Kanu was charged for damaging any property, AAA said “maybe not directly or physically.”

He said that Kanu had made inciting comments on social media but couldn’t name anyone who committed violence as a direct result.

When the defence asked if Kanu had called Nigeria a zoo, AAA said yes. However, he couldn’t recall if Kanu had spoken about issues like unemployment or corruption.

He did confirm that Kanu had claimed IPOB was not an armed group and doesn’t give members weapons training.

In broader questions about national violence, AAA agreed that killings in parts of northern Nigeria—such as Kaduna, Zamfara, and Benue—were not related to any separatist movement.

He also agreed that while highways are generally safe, many Nigerians have been killed or kidnapped in places of worship, farms, schools, and trains, none of which are linked to any Biafra agitation.

Kanu’s legal battle, which began in 2015 after his initial arrest in Lagos, has faced repeated delays.

Though originally charged alongside four others, their cases were split in 2018 after Kanu fled the country. He was re-arrested in Kenya and returned to Nigeria in 2021.

KanyiDaily recalls Justice James Omotosho had approved a request from the Federal Government to allow witnesses to testify from behind a screen for security reasons.