The embattled leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has denied responsibility for the destruction of properties and violence that happened in Lagos State during the EndSARS protest of October 2020.
Nnamdi Kanu is currently facing trial for a seven-count charge bordering on terrorism, brought against him by the federal government.
At the continuation of the examination-in-chief of the federal government’s second witness on Thursday, May 8, the witness, Mr BBB (name withheld for security reasons), tendered into evidence another video recorded on a compact disc (CD plate). The video, which was an interrogation video, showed Nnamdi Kanu alongside his lawyers at the DSS headquarters in Abuja on July 17, 2021, being interviewed by DSS officers.
During the interview, the DSS officer asked Kanu if he was aware that his broadcast on October 20, 2020, led to the violence, killings, and destruction of public property in Lagos State. Kanu responded, “Lagos is not a Biafra territory, so whatever happened there cannot be attributed to me.”
Recall that this witness is the second witness of the federal government, who was first sworn in on oath on Tuesday, May 6, and he alleged that Nnamdi Kanu admitted to using Radio Biafra to incite violence in some parts of the country.
However, in what seems to be a twist in the ongoing trial, the same witness tendered into evidence a video recording of Nnamdi Kanu denying responsibility for any form of violence that happened in any part of the country.
In his final remarks in the video, Kanu said, “The person who ordered the army to attack my home, killing 28 people, is the real enemy because I was already in discussion with eminent Southeast persons, including Prof. Ben Nwabueze, to find a political solution.”
At the end of the video, the witness, Mr BBB, told the court that, from their investigations, they have established that most of the killings that happened in southeast Nigeria were directly connected to Kanu’s broadcast.
They used the killing of Ahmed Gulak, a former special adviser to the president, who was killed on May 30, a day declared as a sit-at-home day by Nnamdi Kanu, as an example. He claimed that the eyewitness statement stated that they heard the assailants asking Gulak why he came out on a day their leader had declared as a sit-at-home.
The witness also mentioned the killing of the military couple, Gloria Mathew and Linus Musa, who were killed and beheaded when they travelled for their traditional wedding.
After Mr BBB concluded his testimony, the trial judge, Justice James Kolawole Omotosho, adjourned the matter to May 14, 21, and 22 for a continuation of the hearing.
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