A witness from Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) has told the Federal High Court in Abuja that the activities of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), have resulted in the deaths of between 170 and 200 security personnel in the country’s South East.
The witness, identified only as DDD for security reasons, gave the testimony on Wednesday during the terrorism trial of IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu. DDD appeared as the fourth prosecution witness in proceedings presided over by Justice James Omotosho.
Led in evidence by government counsel, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), the witness said DSS investigations traced numerous attacks, including prison breaks, assassinations, and ambushes of security agents, to the group. He also testified that two DSS operatives, including his driver, were among those killed in the wave of violence.
According to DDD, IPOB established Radio Biafra with an illegally imported transmitter, smuggled into the country without regulatory approval. He noted that the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) confirmed that the transmitter was German-made and not licensed for broadcast within Nigeria.
“The defendant never applied for a broadcast licence. Our investigation confirmed the equipment was procured without clearance,” the witness said, adding that it was discovered in a property in Anambra State and traced back to Kanu and his associates.
The court also heard how the ESN allegedly committed brutal acts of violence, including ritual killings. DDD cited a Vanguard newspaper report in which a captured ESN commander confessed that the group received instructions from Kanu to target security agents and prepare charms using human body parts.
The witness further detailed the killing of former presidential aide Ahmed Gulak in May 2021, claiming that the murder was linked to a stay-at-home directive issued by Kanu. He recounted how Gulak, travelling in a hired vehicle, was stopped at a checkpoint by suspected IPOB members, who allegedly shot him after identifying him as non-Igbo.
During cross-examination, DDD admitted he had no documentation of when the transmitter was imported and said he was unaware of claims that Radio Biafra was registered in the UK.
Justice Omotosho adjourned the case until 19 June for continuation of trial.
