A Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday admitted in evidence video recordings of Nnamdi Kanu, the self-acclaimed leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), threatening some prominent Igbo leaders over their stance on his activities.
The court also issued an order barring a lady said to be Kanu’s sister in-law from attending all future proceedings. The court said she was in contempt, having been caught live streaming proceedings of the court, and making her followers make live comments.
In continuing his testimony on Thursday, the third prosecution witness (PW3), who was led in evidence by prosecuting lawyer, Suraj Saida (SAN), identified a video recording of an interview session Kanu had with an online platform, Sarahara Reporters.
The video, stored on a compact disc, was admitted by the court in evidence and later played.
In the video, Kanu was heard calling Nigeria a zoo, making allegations against some prominent Igbo figures and threatened to deal with them.
Kanu accused former Minister of Foreign Affairs, General Ike Nwanchukwu of killing Igbos. He accused ex-Anambra Governor, Jim Nwobodo of betraying Alex Ekweme, a fellow Igbo man
He equally accused the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in 2023, Peter Obi of killing some Igbos and having their copses dumped in a river.
The defendant also accused ex-governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha single handedly islamising the state.
Also in the video, Kanu was heard threatening violence if his Biafra objective was not achieved.
He said if Biafra is not granted, what is happening in Somalia will be like a child’s play to what will befall Nigeria, which he referred to as a zoo.
Kanu added: “If they do not give us Biafra, there will be nothing living in the zoo. Nothing will survive there.
“I do not see Biafra happening peacefully. There is no freedom out of a peaceful process,” he said.
Kanu said he welcomed the attack on Enugu State’s government house, adding that he will support anything that can overthrow the existing corrupt establishment.
Under cross examination by defence lawyer, Paul Erokoro (SAN), PW3 said he did not investigate the veracity of the allegations made by Kanu against the named prominent Igbo indigenes.
The witness, an operative of the DSS, said his assignment was only to ascertain from Kanu if he actually granted the interview, which he said the defendant confirmed.
The DSS officer said he was not aware that General Nwanchukwu, Nwobodo, Okorocha and Obi, whom Kanu made allegations against in the interview, were killed after the last national conference.
On her part, fair-complexioned Mrs Favour Kanu, who was in court, was barred from further entering the premises of the court in Abuja, except where she is personally involved in any other case outside her brother in-law’s.
Justice James Omotosho issued the orders after holding her in contempt of the court for engaging in live broadcast and publicity of the court’s proceedings on her social media platform.
The judge noted that Favour was fond of publishing live updates of court proceedings and inviting comments from her followers.
The judge said Favour’s conduct was disrespectful of the institution of the court and amounted to contempt in the face of the court.
Justice Omotosho threatened to order her arrest should she persist with the contempt of court.
The judge, who ordered Favour out of the court room, noted that Thursday’s was the third time she would engage in unauthorized publication of live proceedings of the court.
Justice Omotosho recalled that he had earlier had cause to bar her from three sessions of the court’s sitting when she live streamed it’s proceedings.
The judge said henceforth, he will send whoever engages in conduct similar to that of Favour to prison. He also warned lawyers who engage in similar conduct to desist from it.
In an earlier ruling, Justice Omotosho upheld the objection raised by Kanu’s legal team to the admissibility of statements obtained from the defendant by officials of the Department of State Services (DSS) in the absence of his lawyers.
The judge held that the statements were not admissible on the grounds that the DSS failed to comply with the provision of Section 17(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015 which he said, made it mandatory that a suspect’s lawyer or any person of his/her choice must be available when he/she is to write a statement.
Justice Omotosho proceeded to mark the statements rejected and also expunged, from the court’s record, the video recordings of the interview/statement writing sessions that Kanu had with DSS officials in October 2015.
Further hearing in the case has been adjourned till June 13.
