The trial of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), continued on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, at the Federal High Court in Abuja. During the session, the Federal Government’s legal team played audio and video clips of Kanu’s past broadcasts in open court. These recordings were submitted to support the terrorism charges brought against him.
The audio clips came from “Radio Biafra,” a station linked to IPOB. They were presented in court as official evidence by the second prosecution witness, identified only as BBB. The case is being handled by Justice James Omotosho.
The recordings reportedly featured Kanu speaking during major national events, including the 2020 EndSARS protests and several violent events that happened in the South-East region of Nigeria.
In one of the broadcasts, Kanu was said to have spoken against attacks by Fulani herdsmen. He also blamed some South-East governors for not protecting their people during those difficult times.
Kanu was also accused of making harsh comments about top Nigerian politicians. Some of those named in court include Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma and Nyesom Wike, the former Governor of Rivers State and now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
The videos included strong statements where Kanu called for self-defense and criticized what he described as government failures. The prosecution argued that these messages encouraged violence and supported a call for separation from Nigeria.
However, Kanu’s defense team, led by Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), disagreed. They said the broadcasts were simply political opinions, which are allowed under Nigeria’s Constitution.
While testifying, the prosecution’s witness confirmed Kanu was the one in the videos and tried to connect his statements to real-life attacks on security offices. But when asked about some charges, the witness admitted they didn’t know those charges had already been dropped by the court in earlier hearings.
A big part of Wednesday’s hearing also focused on the 2017 ban of IPOB. The defense accepted the document showing IPOB’s proscription but noted that the ban was made through an ex parte order, meaning IPOB was not present or represented in court when it happened.
Another document presented was a letter from a former Attorney General, which ordered Kanu’s arrest. The defense team complained that they were never officially given this document in the past.
Justice Omotosho emphasized that all pieces of evidence must be properly shared with the defense lawyers to ensure the trial is fair.
The court adjourned the case to Thursday, May 8, 2025, so the prosecution can continue presenting their witnesses.
