The proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has accused the federal government of rendering statements allegedly made by dead persons in the ongoing terrorism trial of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
IPOB made the accusation in a statement released by its spokesman, Emma Powerful on Sunday.
The group accused the Department of State Services (DSS), of tendering a newspaper publication containing a statement allegedly made by an IPOB member, Emeyiri Benjamin, aka ‘Onye Army’, who it said died in DSS custody.
In the statement titled: “The Nigerian Government has finally reduced itself to tendering dead men’s statements in its failed case against Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” IPOB said Onye Army did not make any statement in court.
Faulting the use of his statement as evidence, IPOB stressed that Onye Army is unavailable for cross examination by Kanu and the defence team.
“Let it be made clear to the Nigerian public and the international community that Onye Army never appeared in court. He never testified.
“His so-called statement was never given in court or even directly to the DSS investigators handling the case.
“Instead, it was PW-DDD, a DSS operative who merely read out what Vanguard newspaper claimed that Onye Army said.
“Incredibly, PW-DDD admitted under oath that he never interviewed Onye Army and had no first-hand knowledge of any such confession.
“The most grotesque part of this charade is that Onye Army is dead, killed while in DSS custody.
“He is not available for cross-examination, verification, or confirmation of any statement attributed to him. This is not law. This is not justice. This is outright fraud upon the court.”
Further faulting the evidence, IPOB added that the federal government has now fully descended into graveyard evidence by fabricating confessions of people they have killed and tendering them through newspaper clippings.
It argued that this scandalous conduct by the federal government violates every known principle of Nigerian law, including Sections 29 and 83 (1) of the Evidence Act as well as Section 36 (6), (😎 of the 1999 Constitution.
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IPOB consequently described Kanu’s trial as illegal, asserting that “beyond the brazen evidentiary fraud, the trial itself remains fundamentally illegal.
“The entire proceeding is nothing but a well-rehearsed media circus designed to produce headlines, not justice.
“The judiciary is being dragged into disrepute before the entire world. Every illegal act by this government in this matter only deepens Nigeria’s global disgrace.
“We remind the federal government that injustice breeds chaos. No amount of manufactured evidence, fraudulent confessions, or forum shopping will destroy the truth.
“The whole world is watching this charade. The only honourable path left is for this sham trial to be terminated immediately,” the group said.
Nnamdi Kanu is facing trial on terrorism-related charges before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
Justice Binta Nyako initially presided over the trial but the case was transferred to Justice Omotosho after she recused herself, following Kanu’s declaration that he has lost confidence in her judgement.
Kanu was first arrested in 2017 for agitating for an independent Biafra nation and later released on bail.
He subsequently escaped to Europe after soldiers invaded his residence in Afaraukwu, Abia State, in a raid codenamed ‘Operation Python Dance’.
In June 2021, Kanu was re-arrested in Kenya and subjected to extraordinary rendition back to Nigeria. He has been detained in the DSS facility since then.
