•Embattled IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu in court
The trial of the embattled leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has resumed today at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The court, led by Justice James Omotosho, granted the request of the federal government for witnesses to testify behind screens, reports Channels TV.
At the resumed hearing, the Defence Counsel, led by Kanu Agabi, told the court that he had 22 members on his team. The judge, however, said he wouldn’t approve more than the 13 he had listed.
Four senior advocates have joined the defence team, namely: Audu Nunghe, Joseph Akubo, Emeka Etiaba and Onyechi Ikpeazu.
The counsel to the federal government, Adegboyega Awolowo, told the court that they had earlier filed an ex parte application for the witnesses to testify behind screens due to the nature of the case and for security reasons.
The witness named AAA is an officer of the Department of State Services (DSS) who has served for 18 years.
Testifying behind a screen, he told the court that on 14th October 2015, he was assigned with some team members to arrest Kanu at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Lagos.
Kanu was taken to the DSS command in Lagos, and the items from his room were listed; and the defendant countersigned the list.
AAA said he led the team that arrested Kanu at the Golden Tulip Hotel, Lagos International Airport on October 14, 2015.
When they got to the Golden Tulip, the receptionist said Nnamdi Kanu was not a guest there. They showed the DSS their guest manifest for several months, and his name was not there. So the DSS got an order from their director to conduct a room-to-room search of the hotel.
They found Nnamdi Kanu in room 303 with a young lady, Maria Ibezimakor.
Kanu initially resisted arrest and exhibited violent actions as he head-butted a DSS officer named Bolaji.
The room where Kanu was arrested looked like a broadcasting studio, according to the DSS, as there were all manner of broadcasting equipment there were ready to use.
They arrested him around 11 pm.
They packed all the equipment to the DSS office in Lagos, listed them, and Kanu attested that the equipment was his and they were complete.
AAA was shown the list, and he identified it, the list was tendered in evidence and was admitted.
