By Chidinma Nyejiuwa
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Now, let’s unpack this whole situation, folks…
Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), is currently standing trial on charges of terrorism, treasonable felony, and managing an unlawful society. The case, ongoing since 2021 at the Federal High Court in Abuja, stems from allegations tied to his broadcasts, the formation of the Eastern Security Network (ESN), and purported links to violent incidents, including the #EndSARS protests.
On October 21, 2025, Kanu filed a motion personally signed by him, indicating his readiness to open his defence after the prosecution closed its case. He plans to call 23 witnesses, categorized as “ordinary but material” and “vital and compellable,” and has requested 90 days to present them, including his own testimony.
Among the “compellable” witnesses he wants the court to subpoena under Section 232 of the Evidence Act, 2011 are several high-profile figures:
Former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami
FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike
Works Minister, David Umahi
Lagos Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu
Retired Lt. Gen. Theophilus Danjuma
Retired Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai
Others include Imo Governor Hope Uzodinma, former Abia Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, ex-NIA DG Ahmed Rufai Abubakar, and former DSS DG Yusuf Bichi.
Kanu’s strategy appears aimed at challenging the prosecution’s narrative by exposing inconsistencies in state actions, highlighting double standards in security enforcement, and questioning procedural irregularities.
Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos Governor) and the #EndSARS Link
The prosecution alleges that Kanu masterminded the 2020 #EndSARS protests, framing them as violent and IPOB-orchestrated attempts to destabilize Nigeria. However, the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry, established by Governor Sanwo-Olu’s administration, found no such link between Kanu or IPOB and the protests.
Instead, the panel documented state repression, including the infamous Lekki Toll Gate shooting of October 20, 2020, where security forces allegedly killed unarmed protesters. The panel’s 2021 report blamed the military and police and recommended compensation for victims.
Kanu’s motion lists Sanwo-Olu as a witness to testify on these findings, emphasizing a “state pattern of repression.” As the panel was created by the Lagos Ministry of Justice under Sanwo-Olu, his testimony could undermine the prosecution’s claim by showing that the protests were a legitimate, youth-led movement against police brutality—not an act of terrorism.
This directly challenges the prosecution’s reliance on Kanu’s radio broadcasts as evidence of incitement.
Theophilus Danjuma (Retired Lt. Gen.) and the ESN Formation
Kanu is charged with establishing the Eastern Security Network (ESN) in 2020 as an “unlawful society.” The government accuses the ESN of attacks on security personnel and civilians in the Southeast.
However, Kanu maintains that ESN was formed amid escalating insecurity—herdsmen attacks, banditry, and community invasions—as a self-defense initiative similar to other regional vigilante outfits.
Danjuma, a former Chief of Army Staff and Defence Minister, famously declared in a 2018 speech in Rivers State:
“If you don’t want to be killed, go and buy your weapons and defend yourselves… The government cannot do everything for you.”
This statement, widely covered by national media, was seen as an endorsement of civilian self-defence against violent attacks. Kanu argues that it inspired ESN’s creation and highlights selective justice, since Danjuma was never investigated or prosecuted for potential “incitement.”
Kanu’s motion lists Danjuma to confirm the statement and show double standards in how state and non-state actors are treated under similar circumstances.
Abubakar Malami (Former AGF) and the Kenya Extradition Saga
Perhaps the most explosive item on the list involves Kanu’s 2021 extraordinary rendition from Kenya, which allegedly violated international law, including the UN Convention Against Torture and Nigeria’s extradition treaty with Kenya.
Kanu was reportedly lured from Nairobi by DSS operatives, forcibly flown to Abuja without due process, and detained. The ECOWAS Court ruled in December 2023 that this act was unlawful and ordered his release—a ruling the Nigerian government has yet to comply with.
As the Attorney-General during that period, Malami reportedly supervised or approved the operation. Kanu’s motion seeks his testimony on the legal basis for the rendition, potentially exposing it as a violation of both domestic and international law.
If proven, this could render the trial void for lack of jurisdiction, as Kanu argues that an illegal arrest cannot ground a lawful prosecution.
Hope Uzodinma (Imo Governor) and the “Unknown Gunmen” Controversy
Kanu’s team also lists Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma, linking him to allegations involving ex-militant leader Asari Dokubo and alleged mercenaries said to operate in the Southeast.
IPOB and some activists claim that Uzodinma’s government has used state-backed armed groups to suppress the ESN and silence pro-Biafra voices. They argue that the so-called “unknown gunmen” are, in fact, state-sponsored militias, responsible for extrajudicial killings, abductions, and human rights abuses targeting Igbo youths.
By calling Uzodinma, Kanu hopes to expose state complicity in the insecurity blamed on IPOB.
Tukur Buratai (Ex-Chief of Army Staff)
Buratai is expected to testify on the 2017 military invasion of Kanu’s home in Afara Ukwu, Abia State, where over 28 civilians were reportedly killed, according to Amnesty International.
Kanu’s defence team argues that this incident, which led to his initial flight from Nigeria, was an act of state aggression, not rebellion—flipping the government’s “incitement” charge to one of military overreach.
David Umahi (Works Minister, Ex-Ebonyi Governor)
As former chairman of the Southeast Governors’ Forum, Umahi was instrumental in the 2017 proscription of IPOB, which Kanu insists was politically motivated and lacked legal basis. His testimony could clarify whether that decision was driven by federal pressure or genuine security concerns.
Nyesom Wike (FCT Minister, Ex-Rivers Governor)
Wike’s inclusion relates to the 2020 Obigbo massacre, where soldiers reportedly killed more than 20 suspected IPOB members during the #EndSARS protests. The defence plans to use Wike’s testimony to highlight patterned state violence and the conflation of civil unrest with terrorism.
Kanu’s witness list transforms his trial from a personal defence into a broader interrogation of state power, security double standards, and human rights violations in Nigeria.
If the court permits these witnesses to testify, the proceedings could expose uncomfortable truths about governance, law enforcement, and political accountability—while also putting pressure on the Tinubu administration amid renewed calls from the Southeast for Kanu’s release.
*Chidinma Nyejiuwa is a Public Affairs Commentator
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