A witness has testified to the court how the embattled leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu was arrested in a hotel.
This followed the resumed trial of the IPOB leader on Tuesday at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The court, led by Justice James Omotosho, granted the request of the Federal Government for witnesses to testify behind screens.
At the resumed hearing, the Defence Counsel, led by Kanu Agabi, told the court that he had 22 members on his team. The judge, however, said he wouldn’t approve more than the 13 he had listed.
Four senior advocates have joined the defence team, namely: Audu Nunghe, Joseph Akubo, Emeka Etiaba and Onyechi Ikpeazu.
The counsel to the Federal Government, Adegboyega Awolowo, told the court that they had earlier filed an ex parte application for the witnesses to testify behind screens due to the nature of the case and for security reasons.
The witness named AAA is an officer of the Department of State Services (DSS) who has served for 18 years.
Testifying behind a screen, he told the court that on 14th October 2015, he was assigned with some team members to arrest Kanu at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Lagos.
Kanu was taken to the DSS command in Lagos, and the items from his room were listed; and the defendant countersigned the list.
AAA said he led the team that arrested Kanu at the Golden Tulip Hotel, Lagos International Airport on October 14, 2015.
When they got to the Golden Tulip, the receptionist said Nnamdi Kanu was not a guest there. They showed the DSS their guest manifest for several months, and his name was not there. So the DSS got an order from their director to conduct a room-to-room search of the hotel.
They found Nnamdi Kanu in room 303 with a young lady, Maria Ibezimakor.
Kanu initially resisted arrest and exhibited violent actions as head butted a DSS officer named Bolaji.
The room where Kanu was arrested looked like a broadcasting studio, according to the DSS, as there were all manner of broadcasting equipment there were ready to use.
They arrested him around 11:00pm.
They packed all the equipment to the DSS office in Lagos, listed them, and Kanu attested that the equipment was his and they were complete.
AAA was shown the list, and he identified it, the list was tendered in evidence and was admitted.
The witness also said they interrogated Kanu the next day in their office, and the interrogation was recorded.
He was shown a CD plate which he identified as the recording of the interrogation. The CD plate was admitted as evidence and was played in open court.
In it, Kanu identified himself and answered questions as he was being asked by a DSS officer.
He said he was in the struggle to make life better for people, that people would wake up in the morning and feel good about their lives.
He attested to the fact that he set up Radio Biafra, and that he is a communication engineer.
He said while he was in Nigeria, Radio Biafra London was being managed by a colleague of his, Uche Mefor.
He added that Radio Biafra has officers in the US, Russia, Italy, Sweden, etc. They have no single staff member in Nigeria, as many people who listen to the radio also help in propagating it.
He said he did not have a license to operate a radio in Nigeria, stressing that he knows operating a radio station without a license is a crime, and if he applied, they wouldn’t give him.
In Kanu’s statement, he admitted fighting for the emancipation of the people of the South East, South South and parts of Benue and Kogi.
He clarified that freedom fighting is not a crime in any part of the world, including Nigeria because it is a fundamental right.
Kanu emphasised that he believes in the freedom of speech and that the UN Charter on people’s right guarantees the right to self-determination.
He claimed not to be involved in any violence because he has not been linked to any one.
