The detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, is preparing to open his defence in his long-running terrorism trial, listing several prominent political figures and former military chiefs among those he intends to call as witnesses.
In a new motion filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja, dated 20 October and marked FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015, Kanu named the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike; Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; and former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd.), as part of 23 witnesses he plans to summon.
The notice, which Kanu personally signed, categorises his witnesses into two groups — “ordinary but material witnesses” and “vital and compellable witnesses.” Among those listed in the second category are Wike, Sanwo-Olu, Buratai, former Defence Minister Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (retd.), Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma, Minister of Works David Umahi, former Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, and former Attorney-General Abubakar Malami (SAN).
Others named include the immediate past heads of Nigeria’s security and intelligence agencies — the former Director-General of the Department of State Services, Yusuf Bichi, and the former Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ahmed Abubakar.
Kanu said he intends to rely on Section 232 of the Evidence Act, 2011 to compel the attendance of those he described as “vital and compellable” witnesses. He also asked the court for 90 days to conclude his defence, pledging to testify personally.
“I will testify on my own behalf, providing a sworn account of the facts, denying the allegations, and explaining the political context of my statements and actions,” he said, adding that justice “must not only be done but be seen to be done.”
The motion comes amid renewed agitation for his release. Just a day earlier, activist Omoyele Sowore led a #FreeNnamdiKanu protest in Abuja, which ended with the arrest of Kanu’s lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, his brother Prince Emmanuel Kanu, and 10 others. The group was later charged with conspiracy, disobedience of lawful orders, and incitement under the Penal Code.
Kanu’s fresh filing follows Justice James Omotosho’s recent ruling that a prima facie case had been established against him, dismissing an earlier “no-case” submission by the defence.
Meanwhile, a request by Kanu’s lawyers to have him transferred to the National Hospital for medical care was opposed by the prosecution, which maintained that the Department of State Services (DSS) facility was adequate. The judge subsequently directed the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to assess Kanu’s condition — after which the association reported that he was fit to stand trial.
But Kanu’s family has dismissed the report as “concocted,” claiming the NMA never examined him. In a statement, his brother Kanunta Kanu accused the prosecution of fabricating the report “to mislead the court.”
“NMA did not go to examine Nnamdi Kanu as ordered. Any report presented is fake. They should explain how that concocted report was arrived at,” he said, accusing the government of persecuting Kanu and “the Igbo people in general.”
He also defended Sowore, describing him as “a non-Igbo who showed courage where many Igbo politicians failed,” and demanded the immediate release of all those arrested during last week’s protest.
Justice Omotosho has fixed 23 October for Kanu to formally open his defence — a move that could once again test Nigeria’s fragile balance between
