By Fresh Facts Reporter
The Department of State Services (DSS) has made shocking revelations before the Federal High Court in Abuja, alleging that operatives of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed affiliate, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), were once caught eating human flesh.
Testifying on Wednesday in the ongoing terrorism trial of IPOB leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, a DSS official told the court that members of the separatist group were involved in gruesome acts of violence, including cannibalism, ritual killings, and attacks on security personnel.
Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), the DSS operative recounted how his team encountered about seven ESN members in a hideout, with human heads in their possession, some of them allegedly consuming human flesh.
“They claimed the human flesh was for spiritual fortification,” the official told the court.
He further stated that IPOB’s activities had resulted in the deaths of between 170 and 200 security operatives across the Southeast, including officers of the police, army, civil defence, and DSS. Two DSS operatives, including his own driver, were among those killed, he added.
Radio Biafra and Illegal Broadcast Equipment
The witness also testified that the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) did not issue any license to Kanu for the importation or operation of Radio Biafra’s German-made transmitter. According to him, the transmitter was brought into the country illegally without regulatory approval.
He said IPOB members contributed funds for the equipment’s purchase, which was eventually traced to a location in Anambra State using forensic analysis of a video showing Kanu inspecting it.
When cross-examined by defence counsel Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), the witness admitted he could not confirm exactly when the transmitter was imported or whether a clearing agency known as Benka Forwarding handled the process, as claimed by the defence.
Gruesome Orders and the Killing of Ahmed Gulak
The DSS witness also accused Kanu of ordering ritual killings within the group. He alleged that an ESN commander, Uzuoma Benjamin, also known as “Onye Army,” confessed to receiving instructions from Kanu to kill security agents and to ensure that the late ESN leader, Ikonso, was buried with 2,000 human heads.
The witness read from statements allegedly made by Onye Army, who claimed that he and other operatives used the heads of 10 girls to prepare protective charms. He said only 30 heads were eventually recovered during the investigation.
He revealed that the police later claimed Onye Army had escaped from custody when DSS attempted to take him into their possession.
On the killing of former presidential aide and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain Ahmed Gulak, the DSS officer said the politician was murdered on May 30, 2021 — a day IPOB had declared a sit-at-home protest. He told the court he was among the first responders at the crime scene in Owerri, Imo State.
According to him, Gulak and two others were travelling to the airport when they diverted from the main road to avoid a military checkpoint. They were intercepted by IPOB members at an unauthorized checkpoint who interrogated them on their ethnic identity.
The driver, who introduced himself as Igbo and could speak the language, was spared. But Gulak, who couldn’t speak Igbo and had a visible Muslim prayer mark, was identified as “one of them” and was shot dead on the spot, the witness said.
He added that Gulak’s corpse was evacuated using his official vehicle.
Other Key Revelations
The DSS operative testified that IPOB and ESN operatives had destroyed several public institutions across the Southeast, including police stations. He also described the group as a heavily armed militia that sets up illegal roadblocks and commandeers vehicles due to inadequate logistics.
Under cross-examination, the witness admitted he was not present during Kanu’s 2016 arrest in Lagos, nor could he confirm details about some individuals and companies allegedly involved in the transmitter’s importation.
He also clarified that the two firearms recovered during the investigation were not found in the transmitter container but under a mattress belonging to one Benjamin Madubugu, who lived on the premises and was later charged with unlawful possession of firearms.
The container housing the transmitter, the witness said, was brought into Nigeria by one Igwe Anyiba, now believed to be residing abroad.
He concluded by stating he was unaware of the Imo State Government’s earlier claim that Gulak’s killing was politically motivated.
Following the cross-examination, Justice James Omotosho discharged the witness and adjourned the trial to Thursday for the continuation of the prosecution’s case.
