FG Witness Reveals Nnamdi Kanu’s Arrest in Lagos Hotel With Woman, Broadcasting Equipment Seized
At the resumed trial of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday, the Federal Government presented its first witness, revealing details surrounding Kanu's 2015 arrest.
Presiding over the matter, Justice James Omotosho granted the prosecution’s request for witnesses to testify behind screens, citing national security and the sensitive nature of the case.
Testifying as the first prosecution witness, a Department of State Services (DSS) operative identified only as "AAA" narrated how he led a team that apprehended Kanu on October 14, 2015, at the Golden Tulip Hotel near Lagos International Airport.
According to the witness, Kanu was discovered in Room 303 with a young woman identified as Maria Ibezimakor after DSS officers conducted a room-to-room search, following denials by hotel staff that Kanu was a registered guest. The room was described as resembling a makeshift broadcasting studio, containing various communication equipment.
Kanu reportedly resisted arrest and headbutted a DSS officer named Bolaji during the operation. All broadcasting equipment found in the room was confiscated and transported to the DSS command in Lagos, with Kanu countersigning the inventory list.
The court admitted the list of seized items into evidence, alongside a recorded video interrogation of Kanu conducted the following day. In the video, Kanu identified himself, admitting to founding Radio Biafra and operating without a Nigerian broadcasting license.
Kanu, who described himself as a communication engineer, stated that Radio Biafra had operations in countries including the United States, Russia, Italy, and Sweden, with no formal presence in Nigeria. He defended his activities as peaceful, asserting that he had not been linked to any violence.
He further emphasized his right to freedom of expression and self-determination as enshrined in both Nigerian law and the United Nations Charter. Kanu maintained that his agitation was aimed at improving the lives of the people in the South-East, South-South, and parts of Benue and Kogi States.
The trial continues as more witnesses are expected to testify in the coming days.
