Fresh details have emerged regarding the nature of testimonies expected from the prominent witnesses listed by the detained leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, as part of his defense against terrorism charges.
The list of witnesses, filed on October 21 and personally signed by Kanu, is divided into two categories: Category A, which comprises “ordinary but material defence witnesses (voluntary),” and Category B, which consists of “vital and compellable witnesses” to be “summoned under Section 232 of the Evidence Act, 2011.”
Kanu’s defense is set to open today at the Federal High Court in Abuja, following a ‘#FreeNnamdiKanu protest’ on Monday that “disrupted work and business activities in Abuja and other parts of the country.”
Read Also: Nnamdi Kanu Lists Malami, Wike, Umahi, Sanwo-Olu, Danjuma, Buratai, Others, As Witnesses
The high-profile figures listed in Category B include:
- Former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami
- Former Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ahmed Rufai Abubakar
- Former Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS), Yusuf Bichi
- Former Minister of Defence, Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (rtd)
- Former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (rtd)
- Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu
- Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma
- Former Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu
- Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike
- Minister of Works and former Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi
According to the court filings, the specific testimonies Kanu’s defense seeks are:
- Malami is expected to testify on directives and authorisations linked to “the defendant’s extraordinary rendition, operations, custody conditions, and compliance with legal procedures.”
- Buratai will testify on “the 2017 invasion of the defendant’s residence and the chain of command authorising the military operation.”
- Umahi is expected to speak on the proscription of IPOB “without a judicial order and its consequences.”
- Ikpeazu will testify about his knowledge and administrative role during the 2017 military invasion of Kanu’s house in Abia State.
- Uzodinma will testify on the killing of former PDP chieftain, Ahmed Gulak, including the findings and public statement that “exonerat[ed] IPOB.”
- Wike will testify on the “Obigbo massacre” that followed the EndSARS protests and the role of security forces under his authority.
- Sanwo-Olu is expected to testify on the EndSARS judicial panel, particularly the Lekki Toll Gate incident, to establish what Kanu’s defense describes as “a pattern of repression.”
- Gen. T.Y. Danjuma (rtd) is to testify on his 2018 public warning urging Nigerians to “defend themselves against ‘infiltrated armed forces,’” which the defense argues “helps contextualise Kanu’s advocacy for self-defence.”
The document also lists two Americans—Bruce Fein and Barry Sutton—who are to testify on the “illegality of extraordinary rendition” and the “alleged digital tampering of electronic evidence,” respectively.1 A civil society director and an unnamed witness are also listed to testify on alleged “extrajudicial killings of IPOB members.”
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