Court Admits Alleged Nnamdi Kanu’s Inciteful Broadcasts against Military, Others

Alex Enumah in Abuja

Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday, admitted in evidence several videos and audios containing alleged inciting broadcast by detained Nnamdi Kanu, against security personnel and some other Nigerians.

The admitted video clips, which were tendered by the second prosecution witness (PW2), codenamed BBB were subsequently played in the open court before parties, family members and journalists.

Kanu is standing trial on alleged terrorism and treasonable felony charges.

He has been in custody of the Department of State Service (DSS) since 2021 when he was re-arrested in Kenya and repatriated to Nigeria, to continue his trial.

He was first arrested in Lagos in 2015.

At the resumed hearing on Wednesday, the witness led in evidence by lead prosecution counsel, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, tendered several documents including flash drive of video broadcast, letters and statements to prove their allegations against Nnamdi Kanu.

Among the videos played before the court included a broadcast said to have been made on December 12, 2020 at about 7pm Nigerian time. In the video, the Biafra nation agitator was seen to be saying, “We can’t ever surrender our land to any janjaweed”, “Any attempt by the Zoo army to kill any Biafran will be reciprocated”.

In the said broadcast Kanu had claimed that the announcement of the establishment of ESN was because the southeast governors did not do what their counterparts in the southwest did in tackling insecurity, adding that since the southeast governors failed, they had to take things into their hands.

“We have coward, spineless, Lilly-livered men as governors.

“ESN is to combat the excesses of the vagabonds that attack us from across the Sahel.
“ESN is not the Biafran army, just a security outfit similar to Amotekun in Yorubaland.
“ESN in our response to the excess bloodshed in our land.
“No governor in the southeast and south-south has the courage to defend our people because they are beholden to the caliphate, therefore IPOB must rise and protect our people”.

Meanwhile, in another video played in the court, a voice which the witness alleged belongs to Nnamdi Kanu was heard telling people to “go and burn down Lagos”, “set Murtala Mohammed Airport on fire”, “burn down that Tinubu hotel”, “go into the bush, collect policemen’s guns and kill them”, etc.

Similarly, a voice claimed to be that of Kanu was heard in another video, saying, “every federal government building in Lagos should be set on fire. Any government vehicle you see, burn them. Manufacture your own weapons, ambush them”.

However, in an audio recording, a voice allegedly belonging to Kanu was addressing people who called into his program thus: “any police officer you kill, go to their station and set it on fire. Kill them. They are janjaweeds”.

The voice also said “Tinubu is in trouble, he cannot run. Anywhere he runs to in this world we will find him”, “If we don’t behave like mad people in this zoological republic, this revolution will not work”, “Start killing soldiers now, set ambush for them, dig holes on the roads so that when their vehicle come it will somersault and they will die”.

In another voice recording, a voice allegedly belonging to Nnamdi Kanu could be heard announcing a “total sit-at-home situation in the southeast tomorrow”.

“Nobody is allowed to come out no matter who you are. If you dare open your shop tomorrow we’ll burn you inside that shop,”!the voice threatened.

A CD plate of Nnamdi Kanu’s interview/interrogation at the DSS headquarters on 17 July 2021 was also presented in court. Though the defense team objected to its admissibility, they said their reasons would be given later. The CD plate and the accompanying certificate of compliance were accepted in evidence and marked exhibit PWI and PWI-1 respectively.

The witness told the court that they had also interviewed Kanu which was captured in video, adding that during the said interview they played before Kanu some of his broadcasts on Facebook which he agreed were made by him.

Meanwhile, among the letters admitted as exhibits before the court is the one titled: Letter of Complaint against Nnamdi Kanu leader of IPOB/ESN over acts of conspiracy, murder, arson and persistent killings of security operatives.

The letter gave an example of where Kanu did a broadcast via Facebook during the End SARS protest urging Lagos residents to go into the bush and ambush any member of the armed forces.

Another example is a broadcast of Nnamdi Kanu urging people to manufacture Molotov cocktails and use them to attack security officers.

The letter had claimed that as a result of these directives, many people were killed including Ahmed Gulak in Imo State while the House of the state Governor, Hope Uzodimma was burnt.

The trial continues on Thursday.