Simon Ekpa, a close associate of the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, is expected to be brought back to Nigeria for trial, a Federal High Court in Abuja was informed yesterday.A Department of State Services (DSS) official testified at the resumption of Kanu’s ongoing trial and made this disclosure.
The witness, identified as PWAAA, stated that Ekpa, who is known to be an associate of Kanu, would soon be brought to Nigeria for prosecution for his support of Kanu’s pro-Biafra agitation. Under cross-examination by Kanu’s lawyer, Kanu Agabi (SAN), the witness said he was unaware of any other individual besides Kanu being tried in connection with the pro-Biafra movement.He mentioned that he learned about others supporting the defendant through newspapers and social media.
The witness also stated that he could not recall Kanu complaining about corruption among elites, unemployment among youths, or apologizing to the President for past insults. He further stated that he didn’t remember Kanu describing IPOB as a voluntary organization not involved in armed conflict against Nigeria.
While acknowledging the existence of killings in parts of Nigeria, especially in the North, the witness said that the government has been working to mitigate the situation. However, he did not know whether these killings were linked to self-determination movements.
The witness also explained how Kanu was arrested in a hotel in Lagos in 2015, adding that no arms of public disturbance were found with the woman arrested alongside Kanu. While the recovered items were Kanu’s personal belongings, the witness mentioned that these items may not have been offensive on their own, but the defendant’s intent could have been something else.
PWAAA clarified that his duty was to arrest Kanu and obtain a statement from him, not to analyze the recovered items or confront anyone with issues of terrorism.He also revealed that Kanu’s statement was taken without the presence of his lawyer, and no statements were obtained from others involved.
The items seized from Kanu were presented in court and admitted as evidence. These included:- 1 Black laptop- 2 Multi-mix transmitters- 1 Mini white Apple iPad with pouch- 1 Grey Apple iPad with pouch- 1 Grey MacBook with pouch- 1 Grey MacBook with case- 1 Mini drone sound wave speaker- 2 Mini white speakers- 1 Large computer mouse- 1 White adaptor- 1 Laptop adaptor- 1 Carton bag with laptop- 2 3G modems, 2 Glo modems, 1 Glo Hawaii modem, 1 MTN modem, 1 Etisalat modem- 1 Flash drive, 1 Camcorder, 1 Hand recorder in black pouch- 1 MacBook Pro adaptor, 1 Mic stand- 1 Phillips headphone, 1 Radio Sharp mic with cord- 1 Pro sound mic with cord, 1 4G LTE modem- A bunch of cards, 1 Power adaptor for mixer, 1 Easy Blaze white modem- 1 Samsung phone, 1 Black Motorola phone, 1 Nokia phone- 1 Black Samsung phone, 1 Black phone, 1 D-Link black modem- 1 8GB flash drive, 1 Extension wire adaptor- 1 Pair of shoes, 1 Belt, 1 Pair of ciderwood sneakers- 1 Black Softech wristwatch, 2 Singlets, 1 Sealed Hermes perfume- 1 Trinket, 1 Pokham perfume, 1 Fredrick Peckham wristwatch- 1 Diesel wristwatch, 1 Alexander Christy collection wristwatch- 1 Club wristwatch, 10 items altogether- 3 Bank MasterCards, Copies of documents, 1 Copy of IPOB complementary card- Documents tagged IPOB, 1 White clipper, 1 Bottle of medicine- 1 Oman perfume, 2 Mini scented oils, 1 Empty black purse- 1 Nigerian passport and 1 British passport, both bearing the name Okwu Kanu Nwannekaibeya- 1 Black purse, 1 Passport holder, 1 Card holder, 1 Box of Rocarden wristwatch- 4 Bundles of cords. Justice James Omotosho, the trial judge, adjourned the case until May 6th, 7th, and 8th for further proceedings.
Source : https://thenationonlineng.net/
