During his re-examination, the prosecution’s attorney urged the prosecution witness to compare Amotekun’s and ESN’s actions. In the current trial of Nnamdi Kanu, the second prosecution witness informed Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja that, in contrast to Amotekun, which is legally supported, Kanu’s Eastern Security Network (ESN) is an illegal organization. Under the codename “BBB,” the witness delivered the statement during a re-examination by Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), the prosecution’s attorney, who requested him to contrast Amotekun’s and ESN’s operations. The witness said that while the ESN has no legal basis for being, Amotekun was founded by legislation passed by the Houses of Assembly of the six South-West states. He also stated in his testimony that the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) had previously supported community policing activities to fight insecurity—but only if they were supervised and approved by reputable security organizations.
The court allowed three video recordings from a flash drive that defense attorney Paul Erokoro (SAN) had tendered earlier in the session. After that, the three videos were shown in public. One of the videos showed the DSS DG encouraging towns to establish a first line of defense against bandits and other outside dangers while speaking at a public gathering. “Getting everyone involved is the practical approach to mobilizing people,” he was overheard saying. The security agencies cannot deploy to every region of the nation. The witness explained that the DSS DG had explicitly stated that such initiatives must be overseen by security services in response to Erokoro’s question about whether the DG was not successfully urging communities to arm themselves.
General Theophilus Danjuma, the former minister of defense, was seen addressing at a public forum in another video that was shown in court. Danjuma claimed in the video that certain military personnel were not impartial in the continuous murders that were taking place all throughout the nation. Erokoro questioned the witness to comment on the implications of Danjuma’s words after identifying him as the speaker. The witness refused to answer, saying Erokoro ought to ask Danjuma directly.
In the third video, Hope Uzodinma, the governor of Imo State, bemoaned the continued murders in his state and blamed them on the deeds of unidentified politicians. Erokoro asked if Uzodinma’s remarks refuted the witness’s prior assertion that the murders at Orlu, Imo State, were committed by members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). The witness insisted that the DSS’s stance was founded on the results of its inquiry. “The names of those killed by suspected IPOB members were disclosed during our research. The witness stated that the governor did not provide the names of those he claimed were killed.
He confirmed that Kanu continued to be a member of IPOB both before and after the group was banned by a court ruling. In response to inquiries concerning his awareness of the EndSARS protests, the witness claimed that the demonstrations were a reaction to demands that the police’s Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) be disbanded. He also mentioned that he was aware that commissions of inquiry had been set up by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and a number of states, including Lagos, to look into the protests and other incidents. He concurred with Erokoro that neither IPOB nor the protests were classified as acts of terrorism in the Lagos State panel’s findings.
The report of the Lagos State panel was later tendered by Erokoro and admitted into evidence. Justice Omotosho gave the prosecution six days to wrap up its case and gave the defense nine days to make its case before calling off the day’s proceedings. The judge postponed more sessions until May 28 and 29, as well as June 6, 16, 18, and 19, after the parties reached an agreement. As the trial proceed, we will keep you up to date.
