The Department of State Services (DSS) Friday told the Federal High Court Abuja that the broadcasts made by the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, incited the sit-at-home order in the South-East region.
The secret police added that the enforcement of IPOB’s sit-at-home order through its militant wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN) directly contributed to economic paralysis in the region.
An operative of the agency, codenamed DDD for security reasons, testified before Justice James Omotosho and was led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN
He stated: “From my investigation, the defendant’s broadcasts directly contributed to economic paralysis in the South-East, as they fuelled the enforcement of IPOB’s sit-at-home order,
“The transmitter, which was not declared to the Nigeria Customs Service, was hidden at the residence of one Benjamin Madubougu in Ihiala, Anambra State.
“The defendant used the radio to incite members of the public against the federal government. We obtained a search warrant, searched Benjamin’s residence, and recovered the transmitter along with other items, including firearms, cartridges, Biafran currency, and Indian hemp.”
The court admitted into evidence a Certified True Copy of the search warrant issued by the Ihiala Chief Magistrate Court on October 28, 2015.
Also, a video recording showing Kanu inspecting the smuggled transmitter was also tendered and admitted despite initial objections by the defence team led by Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN.
In the video played in the open court, Kanu was seen praising the transmitter as a “game changer” and referring to it as a “nuclear weapon” for Biafra.
The embattled IPOB leader also warned residents of the South-East not to defy IPOB’s sit-at-home order scheduled for May 31, 2021, threatening violence against violators.
Madubougu’s statement in which he admitted that Kanu had not provided any customs documentation for the imported transmitter was also tendered in court.
The court also admitted a publication from Vanguard newspaper in which an alleged ESN member claimed that Kanu ordered the collection of 2,000 human heads for burial rites, although only 30 were reportedly obtained.
The court admitted the newspaper article, alongside a certificate of compliance despite the objection of the defence team,