…Lists Gen. Danjuma, Wike, Uzodimma, Sanwo-Olu, Buratai, Others as Witnesses
The leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has listed former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, and several prominent Nigerians as witnesses in his ongoing terrorism trial.
Among those Kanu described as “compellable witnesses” are the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike; former Minister of Defence, Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (rtd); former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Tukur Buratai (rtd); Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma.
Others include the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi; immediate past Governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu; former Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ahmed Rufai Abubakar; and former Director-General of the State Security Service, Yusuf Bichi, along with several unnamed witnesses.
Kanu, in a motion personally signed and filed before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, requested the court to grant him 90 days to enable him to conclude his defence, considering the number of witnesses he intends to call.
The motion, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015 and dated October 20, was filed on October 21. It is titled: “Notice of Number and Names of Witnesses to be Called by the Defendant and Request for Witness Summons/Subpoena and the Variation of the Time Within Which to Defend the Counts/Charges Against the Defendant.”
According to Kanu, the motion is in compliance with the court’s earlier order of October 16, 2025, directing him to commence his defence on October 24, 2025.
He informed the court of his plan to call a total of 23 witnesses, divided into two categories. The first category, he said, comprises “ordinary but material witnesses,” while the second includes “vital and compellable witnesses” who will be summoned under Section 232 of the Evidence Act, 2011.
Kanu stated that he would personally testify, giving a sworn account to deny the allegations and explain the political context of his statements and actions.
He also pledged to submit the sworn statements of all voluntary witnesses to the court and notify the prosecution within a reasonable time.
Kanu assured the court that his request would not cause unnecessary delays, adding that it was in the interest of justice for proceedings to be transparent and for justice to be seen to have been done.
