Agency Report –
Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday, admitted in evidence video recordings of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, threatening some prominent Igbo leaders over their stance on his activities.
Justice James Omotosho admitted the video recording in evidence and marked as exhibit after Kanu’s lawyer, Paul Erokoro, SAN, did not oppose its admissibility.
The video; an interview session Kanu had with an online platform, Sarahara Reporters, was tendered through the 3rd prosecution witness (PW-3), a DSS operative, identified as CCC.
Justice Omotosho had, earlier, delivered a ruling on the propriety of the evidence (statements and videos) initially sought to be tendered by the FG.
After the ruling, the PW-3 was called to continue with his evidence-in-chief.
The witness, while being led in evidence by prosecuting lawyer, Suraj Saida, SAN, identified the disk titled: “Interview with Sahara TV.”
The video, stored in a compact disc, was admitted by the court in evidence and later played.
In the video, Kanu was heard calling Nigeria a “zoo,” making allegations against some prominent Igbo figures and threatening to deal with them.
Kanu accused former Minister of Foreign Affairs, General Ike Nwanchukwu of killing Igbos.
He accused ex-Anambra Governor, Jim Nwobodo, of betraying Alex Ekweme, a fellow Igbo man.
He equally accused the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, of killing some Igbos and having their copses dumped in a river.
The defendant also accused former Gov. Rochas Okorocha of Imo of single handedly islamising the state.
Also in the video, Kanu was heard threatening violence if his Biafra objective was not achieved.
He said if Biafra was not granted, what is happening in Somalia will be like a child’s play to what will befall Nigeria, which he referred to as a zoo.
“If they do not give us Biafra, there will be nothing living in the zoo; nothing will survive there.
“I do not see Biafra happening peacefully. There is no freedom out of a peaceful process,” he said.
Kanu said he welcomed the attack on Enugu State’s Government House, adding that he would support anything that could overthrow the existing corrupt establishment.
While being cross examined by Erokoro, the witness said he did not investigate the veracity of the allegations made by Kanu against the named prominent Igbo indigenes.
He said his assignment was only to ascertain from Kanu if he actually granted the interview, which he said the defendant confirmed.
He said he was not aware that General Nwanchukwu, Nwobodo, Okorocha and Obi, whom Kanu made allegations against in the interview, were killed after the last national conference.
The witness denied knowing what the National Conference 2014 was about, as said by Kanu in the video.
The PW-3 also denied knowing if Kanu backtracked from his statements in subsequent videos he made.
The judge then adjourned the matter until June 13, June 16, June 17, June 18, and June 19 for continuation of trial.
Earlier, Justice Omotosho, in a ruling, upheld the objection raised by Kanu’s legal team to the admissibility of statements obtained from the defendant by DSS officials in the absence of his lawyers.
The judge held that the statements were not admissible on the grounds that the DSS failed to comply with the provision of Section 17(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.
The provision states that a suspect’s lawyer or any person of his/her choice must be available when he/she is to write a statement.
He held that though the provision of ACJA used the word, “May” to mean that “the presence of a lawyer to a suspect is not a must while making statement,” he could not close his eyes to the Supreme Court’s decision on the issue.
Justice Omotosho proceeded to mark the statements rejected and also expunged, from the court’s record, the video recordings of the interview/statement writing sessions that Kanu had with DSS officials in October 2015.
The judge also issued an order barring a lady said to be Kanu’s sister in-law, Mrs Favour Kanu, from attending all future proceedings.
He said she was in contempt, having been caught live streaming proceedings of the court, and making her followers make live comments.
The fair-complexioned woman, who was in court, was barred from further entering the premises of the court in Abuja, except where she is personally involved in any other case outside her brother in-law’s.
The judge issued the orders after holding her in contempt of the court for engaging in live broadcast and publicity of the court’s proceedings on her social media platform.
He observed that Favour was fond of publishing live updates of court proceedings and inviting comments from her followers.
The judge said Favour’s conduct was disrespectful of the institution of the court and amounted to contempt in the face of the court.
Justice Omotosho threatened to order her arrest should she persist with the contempt of court.
The judge, who ordered Favour out of the court room, said that today was the third time she would engage in unauthorised publication of live proceedings of the court.
Justice Omotosho recalled that he had earlier had cause to bar her from three sessions of the court’s sitting when she live streamed the proceedings.
The judge also warned that henceforth, he would send whoever engages in conduct similar to that of Favour to a correctional centre.
He also warned lawyers who engage in similar conduct to desist from it.
