The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, insisted in court that his struggle for the emancipation of the South East, South South, and parts of Benue and Kogi States is a fundamental right-not terrorism as alleged by the Nigerian federal government. In a statement made to Department of State Services (DSS) operatives in Lagos on October 15, 2015, and read aloud in open court on April 29, 2025, Kanu emphasized that freedom fighting is not a crime anywhere in the world, including Nigeria.
The statement, admitted as evidence by Justice James Omotosho at the Federal High Court in Abuja, was read by a DSS witness testifying for the prosecution. Kanu’s legal team did not object to the reading or to the playing of video recordings of his interrogations, which were also admitted as exhibits. Kanu claimed he was interrogated without a lawyer present, contrary to legal requirements, and denied any involvement in violence or links to violent acts.
During the interrogation, Kanu acknowledged founding Radio Biafra in London, which was registered there, and admitted operating it without a license from Nigeria’s National Broadcasting Commission due to the government’s refusal to grant one. The prosecution also presented four suitcases containing items seized from the hotel room where Kanu was arrested, including radio broadcasting equipment, which were admitted as exhibits.
The trial, which resumed amid calls by IPOB and human rights groups condemning it as unlawful and a violation of constitutional and international law, continues to draw national and international attention. IPOB maintains that Kanu’s arrest and trial are illegal, citing violations of due process and previous court rulings ordering his release. The federal government, however, pursues charges of treasonable felony and terrorism related to Kanu’s separatist agitation for an independent Biafra state.