First witness in Kanu’s trial opens up on his 2015 arrest in Lagos hotel

The first witness at the opening trial of leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu on Tuesday testified before the court recalling that the accused was first arrested in 2015 in hotel in Lagos, where he lodged with his native name.

Penpushing reports that the witness, a State Security Service (SSS) operative code-named PWAAA in line with the judge’s earlier decision permitting the prosecution to shield the identities said Kanu was arrested during a room-to-room search.

The witness led in evidence by the prosecution lawyer, Adegboyega Awomolo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said Kanu’s arrest was based on intelligence adding that an eight-man team was deployed to a hotel in Ikeja, Lagos on 15 October 2015

Penpushing further reports that he told the court that the security men opted for room-to-room search because Kanu’s name was not on the hotel manifest, adding that it was upon his arrest that they discovered he used his native name to secure the hotel accommodation.

The witness disclosed that several items including Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) pamphlets, complementary cards, laptops, iPads, microphones, microphone stand, flash drives, power adaptor for mixers, various brands of phones, perfumes, ATM cards, a wrist watch, among others, were recovered in Kanu’s hotel room and recorded.

Penpushing also reports that the witness informed the court that the interrogation of Kanu was video recorded, while the clip of the interrogation session was played in the open court and admitted as exhibits along with his written statement.

The items brought to court by the State Security Service (SSS) in four suitcases were displayed in the open court and admitted as exhibits without objection from Kanu’s defence team, and Kanu in his written statement read in the open court by the witness, admitted fighting for emancipation of his people and that the call for self-determination was his fundamental right and not a crime.

Penpushing reports that the Biafra agitator insisted that his fight for the emancipation of the South-East, South-South and parts of Benue and Kogi states is his fundamental right and not terrorism as alleged by the Nigerian government.

The accused in the statement which he wrote down for the State Security Service (SSS) on October 15, 2015, made it clear that freedom fighting is not a crime in any part of the world, including Nigeria, because it is a fundamental right and cited some laws in the statement.

Penpushing further reports that Kanu in same vein said he wrote the statement without his lawyers present as required by law, admitting in the statement and video clip that he established and operated Radio Biafra in London where it was registered.

The leader of the proscribed group admitted not registering the radio station with the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) in Nigeria, arguing that he believed there was no need to register it with the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) having not been established in Nigeria.

Penpushing also reports that the witness, however, in concluding his evidence, told the court that Kanu admitted to State Security Service (SSS) to be founder and the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), which would be proscribed by the Nigerian government with court validation as an unlawful organisation in August 2017.

Meanwhile, trial judge, Justice Omotosho in the case featuring terrorism and treasonable felony charges against Kanu, which was originally instituted in 2015 following his arrest in Lagos, however, fixed May 2, 2025 for cross-examination of the witness.

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