A witness from the Department of State Services (DSS) on Wednesday told the Federal High Court in Abuja that the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), were responsible for the deaths of between 170 and 200 security personnel in Nigeria’s South-East.
Testifying under the pseudonym ‘DDD’ for security reasons, the fourth prosecution witness in the ongoing terrorism trial of IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu, detailed a series of violent incidents attributed to the separatist group. DDD spoke during a session presided over by Justice James Omotosho, with Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, leading the Federal Government’s prosecution.
The witness linked the attacks directly to broadcasts allegedly made by Kanu, citing specific instructions he said were issued by the defendant, including a directive that a slain ESN commander, Ikonso, be buried with “2,000 human heads”—though only 30 were allegedly obtained.
DDD recounted that DSS operatives recovered a German-made FM radio transmitter in Anambra, allegedly smuggled into the country without licensing from the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) for use by Radio Biafra. The NBC later confirmed the transmitter was unlicensed and illegally installed.
Further, DDD referenced a Vanguard newspaper report in which an alleged ESN commander, Uzuoma Benjamin (aka Onye Army), confessed to receiving direct orders from Kanu, including to attack and kill security operatives. The witness also claimed DSS operatives once encountered ESN members with human heads and engaging in cannibalistic rituals for spiritual fortification.
On the May 30, 2021, killing of Ahmed Gulak, a former adviser to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, DDD said the politician was murdered in Owerri following a stay-at-home order allegedly issued by Kanu. He narrated that Gulak was stopped at an IPOB checkpoint, identified as non-Igbo, and executed on the spot.
Under cross-examination by defense counsel Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, DDD admitted there was no record of the transmitter’s importation or the names of clearing agents involved. He also acknowledged that some of his information about Kanu’s 2016 arrest and equipment seizure was based on reports, not firsthand knowledge.
Justice Omotosho adjourned the trial to June 19 for continuation.
