The Department of State Services (DSS) on Thursday laid serious accusations against the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, alleging that he orchestrated a wave of violent attacks across the country, including high-profile assassinations and the torching of public infrastructure.
Testifying before the Federal High Court in Abuja, the DSS’s second prosecution witness—identified only by the codename “BBB” for security reasons—claimed that Kanu’s incendiary messages broadcast via the unlicensed Radio Biafra were directly responsible for inciting brutal acts of violence.
According to the witness, Kanu not only founded IPOB but also established its militant arm, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), both of which he used as instruments to advance his campaign for secession through what the DSS described as "calls to violence by any means necessary."
“He ordered the burning of a Lagos High Court and the destruction of government buses. He urged his supporters to behead police officers and soldiers,” BBB said under examination by the prosecution lead counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN.
The witness told the court that Kanu had, during investigations, admitted to being the voice behind several recorded Radio Biafra broadcasts submitted as evidence. In these audio recordings, he allegedly called for attacks on state institutions, encouraged the enforcement of illegal sit-at-home orders, and urged his followers to treat dissenters as enemies.
BBB further linked the IPOB leader to the gruesome killings of law enforcement officers and civilians alike. Among the victims named was a police officer who was reportedly beheaded, and Ahmed Gulak, a former political adviser to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, who was assassinated in May 2022.
The DSS witness also attributed the horrific murder and beheading of a Nigerian Army couple, Gloria Matthew and Linus Musa, as well as the assassination of a retired judge, to directives issued by Kanu.
“He told his followers to ‘deal ruthlessly’ with anyone who flouted his sit-at-home order,” BBB added, noting that eyewitness accounts confirmed that Gulak’s attackers chanted Kanu’s name before fatally shooting him.
The revelations come amid heightened tensions and scrutiny surrounding IPOB's activities in the South-East region, as authorities continue to press charges against Kanu for terrorism and incitement.
The hearing continues as the prosecution seeks to establish a direct link between Kanu’s alleged broadcasts and the string of attacks that have left a trail of bloodshed and destruction in their wake.
