The Department of State Services (DSS) informed the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday that the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, lacked the necessary broadcasting licence from the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to import and operate the transmitter used for Radio Biafra.
This revelation was made during the ongoing terrorism trial of Kanu, as the fourth prosecution witness, a DSS operative identified only as Mr DDD, testified before the court. He was led in evidence by the prosecuting counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN).
According to the witness, the radio transmitter was recovered from a compound in Ubuluisiuzor, Anambra State, and subsequently transported to Abuja for analysis.
The NBC, after inspecting the equipment on November 9, 2015, confirmed that it was a German-made transmitter designed for FM frequency broadcasting.
The commission concluded in its report that such a device could only be legally installed in Nigeria with a valid licence—none of which was ever obtained by Kanu or IPOB.
“The defendant neither applied for nor was granted a broadcast licence by the NBC. He illegally imported the transmitter,” Mr DDD testified.
He also revealed that the transmitter was stored at the home of one Benjamin Madubugu and that Kanu personally inspected the device, recording a video message for IPOB supporters who had contributed funds to its purchase.
The DSS further alleged that Kanu’s group had an armed wing known as the Eastern Security Network (ESN), which was implicated in the deaths of between 170 and 200 security personnel across Nigeria’s South-East region.
Citing confessions from a detained ESN member, Uzuoma Benjamin, also known as “Onye Army,” the witness said Kanu had instructed attacks on security agents and reportedly ordered the burial of slain IPOB commander Ikonso with “2,000 human heads.”
In chilling details, the witness recounted claims that ESN operatives engaged in ritual killings, including the beheading of young girls to produce charms for “spiritual fortification.”
He said DSS operatives raiding an ESN hideout once found seven members with human heads, some allegedly consuming human flesh.
Regarding the killing of former presidential aide Ahmed Gulak in May 2021, the witness alleged that IPOB gunmen at an illegal checkpoint murdered him after he failed to speak Igbo convincingly.
Under cross-examination by defence counsel Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), the witness conceded that he could not confirm when or how the transmitter was imported, and there were no official records of its entry into Nigeria.
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He also admitted to not having knowledge of the companies or individuals involved in its shipment. However, he named one Igwe Anyiba, reportedly living abroad, as the person who facilitated the transmitter’s importation.
Mr DDD concluded his testimony by confirming that two firearms were recovered from beneath a mattress at Madubugu’s residence, resulting in charges of unlawful possession of arms.
Justice James Omotosho adjourned the trial to June 20, when the prosecution is expected to call its fifth witness.
