Nnamdi Kanu Lists 23 High-Profile Witnesses, Including Wike and Umahi, to Open Defence
Abuja, Nigeria
In an escalation of his long-running terrorism trial, detained Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu, has filed a motion to call 23 witnesses—including serving ministers, governors, and ex-security chiefs—to testify in his defence, just hours after nationwide protests demanding his release were met with police crackdowns and arrests.
Kanu, held in solitary confinement by the Department of State Services since his 2021 rendition from Kenya, personally signed the motion dated October 20 and filed October 21 before Justice James Omotosho at the Federal High Court in Abuja. He affirmed readiness to begin his defence on October 24, as ordered on October 16, stating: “Pursuant to the order of this honourable court… I am prepared to commence my defence.” The list divides witnesses into “ordinary but material” (voluntary experts) and “vital and compellable” (hostile figures to be subpoenaed under Section 232 of the Evidence Act), with Kanu himself set to testify, denying charges and explaining the “political context” of his pro-Biafra activism. He seeks a 90-day extension to conclude, citing the high-profile slate.
Among the compellable witnesses are Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, Works Minister Dave Umahi, Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Imo Governor Hope Uzodinma, former Abia Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, ex-Attorney General Abubakar Malami, retired Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (ex-Chief of Army Staff), and retired Lt. Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (ex-Defence Minister). Others include ex-Inspector General Mohammed Adamu, ex-DSS Director-General Yusuf Bichi, and a DSS officer linked to Kanu’s Kenya abduction. Voluntary witnesses feature human rights activist Chief Emeka Umeagbalasi and forensic experts to address the 2017 military raid on Kanu’s Afaraukwu home—deemed extrajudicial by courts—and evidence fabrication claims.
The move, filed amid the detention of Kanu’s lawyer Aloy Ejimakor and brother Prince Emmanuel Kanu after the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protests, has electrified supporters who see it as a bid to expose state overreach. Amnesty International hailed it as a “bold counter to judicial weaponization,” while critics like IPOB spokesman Emma Powerful warned of “deliberate delays” if officials dodge subpoenas, invoking presidential immunity.
Kanu’s family, via brother Kanunta, called the list a “truth bomb” against his unlawful four-year detention, defying multiple release orders.As the trial resumes tomorrow—potentially transforming the courtroom into a national inquisition—legal observers predict fireworks, with the witness array risking political fallout for the Tinubu administration. Rights groups urge international monitoring, decrying the case as a symbol of Nigeria’s eroding rule of law and Igbo marginalization.
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