Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), told the court during a Federal High Court session on May 28, 2025, that the confessional statements he made in 2015 were forced out of him by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS).
He claimed that while in detention, he was denied access to legal counsel, threatened with the possibility of being denied bail, and subjected to solitary confinement.
The prosecution presented video recordings and written statements that were allegedly made by Nnamdi Kanu during his interrogation.
However, Nnamdi Kanu’s defence team argued that these statements were obtained under duress and therefore should not be admissible as evidence. As a result, the presiding judge ordered a trial-within-a-trial to determine whether the statements were given voluntarily.
In his testimony during this trial-within-a-trial, Kanu said he was chained, blindfolded, and taken to Abuja without being told where he was going.
He accused a DSS officer, identified as Mr. Brown, of threatening to withhold his daily hour of fresh air unless he complied with their demands. Kanu also claimed that the DSS officers instructed him on what to write in his statements.
On the other hand, the DSS operative, referred to as CCC, denied any form of mistreatment and insisted that Nnamdi Kanu was treated with “presidential treatment” and that all interactions were conducted professionally.
The court has adjourned to consider whether the contested statements will be accepted as evidence against Nnamdi Kanu and will deliver a ruling in due course.
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cc: Daily Post Ng
