By Fresh Facts Correspondent
An operative of the Department of State Services (DSS) on Friday admitted before the Federal High Court in Abuja that no weapon linked to terrorism or violence was recovered from Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), at the time of his arrest on October 15, 2015.
Testifying under a codename “PWAAA,” the DSS operative revealed during cross-examination by Kanu’s counsel, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), that all items seized from Kanu’s Lagos hotel room were personal belongings. The witness also confirmed that no arms or public disturbance tools were found on a female associate arrested alongside Kanu.
Despite the absence of weapons, the witness suggested that while the seized items might not be “ordinarily offensive,” their perceived intent could be of concern. However, he conceded that he neither analyzed the recovered items nor confronted Kanu with any terrorism-related allegations.
Under questioning from Justice James Omotosho, PWAAA confirmed that his primary assignment was to arrest Kanu and obtain his statement — a statement taken without legal counsel present. The operative admitted that no other individuals connected to the IPOB agitation were questioned or put on trial by the government to his knowledge, although he named Simon Ekpa as someone expected to face trial soon over his alleged involvement in the Biafra movement.
On the subject of social unrest, the witness acknowledged that while violence had occurred in some parts of the country, particularly in the North, he could not directly link such incidents to self-determination movements like IPOB. He also claimed no recollection of Kanu criticizing corruption, youth unemployment, or making conciliatory remarks toward Nigerian leaders.
Interestingly, PWAAA admitted to analyzing Kanu’s mobile phone, though the report was withheld from the court on the grounds of irrelevance.
The items recovered from Kanu and admitted into evidence include a range of personal and electronic devices:
- 1 black laptop
- 2 multi-mix transmitters
- 1 mini white Apple iPad (with pouch)
- 1 grey Apple iPad (with pouch)
- 2 grey MacBooks (with pouches and case)
- 1 mini drone soundwave speaker
- 2 mini white speakers
- 1 large computer mouse
- 1 white adaptor
- 1 laptop adaptor
- 1 carton bag with a laptop
- Multiple modems (3G, 4G LTE, Glo, MTN, Etisalat)
- 1 flash drive
- 1 camcorder
- 1 hand recorder (black pouch)
- 1 MacBook Pro adaptor
- 1 microphone stand
- 1 Phillips headphone
- 2 microphones (Radio Sharp and Pro Sound)
- A bunch of cards
- 1 power adaptor for mixer
- 3 mobile phones (Samsung, Motorola, Nokia)
This testimony could significantly influence public and legal discourse around Kanu’s ongoing trial, raising questions about the nature of the charges and the strength of the government’s evidence.
