Federal Government Closes Case Against Nnamdi Kanu in Terrorism Trial After Five Witnesses

 The Federal Government of Nigeria closed its case against Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), on Thursday, June 19, 2025, in the ongoing terrorism and treason trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja. 

Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, counsel for the government, announced the closure after presenting five witnesses, all Department of State Services (DSS) operatives, before Justice James Omotosho. The prosecution tendered evidence, including Kanu’s alleged broadcasts inciting violence, to support seven counts of terrorism-related charges. Kanu’s legal team, led by Chief Kanu Agabi, SAN, plans to file a no-case submission, arguing the evidence fails to establish a prima facie case.

The trial, which began in 2015 and restarted in 2025 after a Supreme Court ruling in December 2023 reinstated charges, centers on Kanu’s Radio Biafra broadcasts between 2018 and 2021. The government alleges Kanu incited attacks on security personnel, issued sit-at-home orders disrupting economic activities in the Southeast, and imported a Tram 2015 radio transmitter illegally. The fifth witness, codenamed EEE, testified about the impact of the 2020 EndSARS protests, claiming Kanu’s broadcasts fueled violence, though cross-examination by Kanu’s counsel, Onyechi Ikpeazu, exposed discrepancies in the report, including unsigned documents and lack of direct evidence tying Kanu to the protests. Items recovered during Kanu’s 2015 arrest, such as laptops and radio equipment, were admitted as exhibits.

Kanu, arrested in Kenya in 2021 and extradited to Nigeria, pleaded not guilty to the amended charges in March 2025. His counsel apologized for Kanu’s earlier outbursts against former judge Binta Nyako, smoothing proceedings. The defense’s no-case submission is set for review, with the trial adjourned to July 1, 2025, amid calls for Kanu’s release and fears of escalating Southeast tensions.