Metro

Kanu’s Radio Transmitter Import Was Unauthorised, DSS Tells Court

Published

5 hours ago

June 18, 2025

Editor

The Department of State Services informed the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday that the National Broadcasting Commission did not licence the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, to import the radio transmitter allegedly smuggled into Nigeria to operate Radio Biafra.

The fourth prosecution witness, a DSS official identified as Mr DDD, stated this during his testimony in the ongoing terrorism trial of Kanu, instituted by the Federal Government.

Led in evidence by prosecuting counsel Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), the witness testified that after he and his team recovered the transmitter from a premises in Ubuluisiuzor, Anambra State, they transported it to Abuja. Subsequently, the DSS contacted the NBC to inspect the device.

The witness said that on November 9, 2015, NBC sent an engineer to inspect the transmitter, who subsequently issued a report. Awomolo tendered a certified true copy of the provisional assessment report on the transmitter as evidence.

Reading from the report, the witness stated that the transmitter was German-made and designed for FM frequency broadcasting. The report further indicated that such equipment could only be legally procured and installed with a valid licence, which Radio Biafra did not have.

The DSS investigation revealed that to operate a radio station in Nigeria, an applicant must obtain a licence from the NBC after receiving clearance from relevant security agencies. “In this case, the defendant [Kanu] neither applied for nor received any approval. He illegally imported the transmitter,” the witness asserted.

The witness added that the investigation confirmed Kanu owned the transmitter, which he stored at the residence of one Benjamin Madubugu. Kanu later inspected the transmitter and recorded a video to assure IPOB members who had contributed funds for its purchase.

In further testimony, Mr DDD claimed IPOB’s armed wing, the Eastern Security Network, was responsible for between 170 and 200 deaths of security personnel in the South-East.

He recounted a statement from an ESN member, Uzuoma Benjamin, alias Onye Army, who allegedly described directives from Kanu to attack and kill security agents and bury a deceased IPOB commander, Ikonso, with 2,000 human heads.

The witness said IPOB’s activities included the 2021 Owerri prison attack, allegedly orchestrated by Kanu, and provided accounts of ESN members engaging in human sacrifices for “spiritual fortification.”

The witness read that Onye Army claimed that he and other members of his group used the heads of 10 girls to prepare charms for their protection.

He said that when the DSS requested from the police to access Onye Army, the police claimed he had escaped from custody.

He added that during one of DSS agents’ raids on ESN members’ hideouts, “we saw some ESN members, about seven, with human heads and some eating human flesh, which they said was for spiritual fortification.

“We could not find Onye Army. The police said he had escaped from custody,” the witness told the court.

On how the ESN members operate, the witness said they are combatants who carry arms and attack homes of prominent individuals and traditional rulers in the region.

He said that because they lacked sufficient operational tools, they sometimes set up roadblocks during which they hijacked vehicles for their operations.

Regarding the May 30, 2021 killing of Ahmed Gulak, a former presidential aide, the witness recounted being among the first responders. He claimed Gulak was killed at an IPOB checkpoint after he failed to speak the Igbo language convincingly.

Under cross-examination by defence counsel Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), the witness admitted there was no record of the transmitter’s importation and that he could not confirm when it was brought into the country. He revealed the transmitter was located using video analysis tools and was later recovered from Anambra State.

He also denied knowledge of certain individuals and companies allegedly involved in clearing the transmitter. The court was further informed that the transmitter was allegedly imported by one Igwe Anyiba, who resides abroad.

The witness added that two firearms were recovered from beneath a mattress on Madubugu’s property, and the latter was charged with unlawful possession of firearms.

Following the conclusion of the cross-examination, the court discharged the witness. Justice James Omotosho adjourned the case until June 20, for the prosecution to call its fifth witness.
(PUNCH)

Metro

Again, Armed Men Attack Natasha’s Family Home, Police Arrest One

Published

5 hours ago

June 18, 2025

Editor

The Kogi State Police Command has arrested one suspect following another attack on the family home of the suspended senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

The suspect, identified as Jose Suberu, was reportedly apprehended at the scene of the attack in Ihima, Okehi Local Government Area, on Tuesday.

Confirming the development to The PUNCH on Wednesday, the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP William Aya, said the suspect had confessed to being part of the attack.

“Yes it’s true and one suspect, Joe Suberu was arrested at the scene. Efforts are on to arrest the fleeing others,” Aya said.

In a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja by the Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Media Office, it was revealed that the armed men vandalised several windows.

“However, with the swift intervention of officers from the local police station, community vigilantes, and concerned youths, the attackers were repelled and one suspect was apprehended,” the statement read.

The media office further alleged that Suberu, a native of the community and described as a ritualist, confessed that this was his third time participating in attacks on the senator’s family residence.

He was reportedly linked to political opponents of the lawmaker.

A mob reportedly attempted to lynch the suspect before he was rescued and handed over to the police.

A cutlass and charms were recovered from him.

“A cutlass and charms were recovered from him. Other suspects involved in the attack, reportedly armed with dangerous weapons, remained at large at press time,” the statement added.

Recall that a similar attack occurred at the family compound in April, but no arrests were made at the time.

Metro

Benue Killings: ‘This Is Genocide, Not A Dispute’, Tor Tiv Tells Tinubu

Published

5 hours ago

June 18, 2025

Editor

The Tor Tiv V, James Ayatse, has told President Bola Tinubu that the killings in Benue State are not clashes between herders and farmers, but a planned attack aimed at taking over land.

Speaking at a meeting with Tinubu and stakeholders in Benue on Wednesday, the traditional ruler said many people had misunderstood the crisis and wrongly advised Benue citizens to stay calm and live peacefully with their neighbours.

Ayatse said, “We do have grave concerns about the misinformation and misrepresentation of the security crisis in Benue State.

“Your Excellency, it’s not herders-farmers clashes, it’s not communal clashes, it’s not reprisal attacks or skirmishes.”

He described the violence as a “calculated, well-planned, full-scale genocidal invasion and land-grabbing campaign” by herder terrorists and bandits that has lasted for decades.

He added, “Wrong diagnosis will always lead to wrong treatment… We are dealing with something far more sinister than we think. It’s not about learning to live with your neighbours; it is dealing with a war.”

Metro

You Have Capacity To Restore Permanent Peace, Tor Tiv Tells Tinubu

Published

5 hours ago

June 18, 2025

Editor

The Tor Tiv, Prof. James Ayatse, has said that President Bola Tinubu has the capacity to restore permanent peace in Nigeria and Benue in particular.

Ayatse stated this on Wednesday in Makurdi at a town hall meeting with Tinubu following the recent killing of more than 200 persons in an attack on Yelwata community in Guma Local Government Area of Benue.

The traditional ruler and Chairman of Benue Traditional Council said his people had made a lot of sacrifices to keep Nigeria united and wondered why they were being isolated for extermination.

He said, “Many of our people died during the Civil War; we paid the supreme price to keep this country united.

“There is genocide going on in our land. It is not clash, but a well-orchestrated, well-coordinated attack aimed at wiping out our people.

“We know you are a courageous leader. You are a focused leader. You are a determined leader. You have the courage and the political will to end this menace.

‘You have taken hard decisions and actions that many people before you did not dare.

“You have handled the subsidy removal challenge of this country. The exchange rate investment decisions, you have taken them.

“I believe you can give us peace. All we ask of you is peace.”

The paramount ruler said the people, who were largely farmers, needed peace so that they would continue farming.

He, however, expressed concerns that the farmers had been chased away from their farms by the bloodthirsty invaders.

The Tor Tiv told the President that Tiv people in Nasarawa State were suffering the same fate, as they too had been chased away from their ancestral homes in some LGAs.

According to Ayatse, Tiv people’s lands have been taken from them, and they have been labelled as settlers.

“They have been in Nasarawa State before the 18th century. They cannot be settlers. They need to go back to their ancestral homes to continue with their lives,” he said.

Ayatse lauded Tinubu for coming personally to identify with Benue people in their moment of grief.

He assured the president that the people of Benue who supported him in 2023 would continue to stand with him.

NAN