A witness from the Department of State Services (DSS) on Wednesday told the Federal High Court in Abuja that the activities of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), resulted in the deaths of between 170 and 200 security operatives in Nigeria’s South-East region.

The witness, the fourth to testify in the ongoing terrorism trial of IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu, alleged that Kanu gave directives to his followers, including orders to kill security personnel and attack government facilities.

Led in evidence by prosecuting counsel Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), the DSS official stated that an ESN member, Uzuoma Benjamin—also known as “Onye Army”—claimed they were instructed by Kanu to kill security operatives and that a deceased ESN commander, Ikonso, was to be buried with “2,000 human heads.” The witness said investigations revealed only 30 human heads were eventually sourced.

He also gave an account of the murder of Ahmed Gulak, a former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan. According to the witness, Gulak was killed in Owerri, Imo State, on May 30, 2021—the same day a sit-at-home order was issued by Kanu through one of his broadcasts.

“We were told by the Divisional Police Officer that Gulak was in a hired vehicle on his way to the airport when he was stopped at a checkpoint,” the witness testified. “The driver later told us that the gunmen asked all three passengers to identify their tribes.

He said Gulak couldn’t speak Igbo, and when they saw a Muslim prayer mark on his forehead, they concluded he was not one of them and shot him.”

He said the DSS recovered Gulak’s body from the scene using his official vehicle.

The witness also told the court that the DSS recovered a radio transmitter allegedly smuggled into the country by Kanu and installed in Ubuluisiuzor, Anambra State. He said that, after recovering the device in 2015, the DSS invited the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to inspect it. The NBC later confirmed in a report that the transmitter was manufactured in Germany and designed for FM broadcast. The commission also stated that such a transmitter required proper licensing, which had not been obtained by Kanu or Radio Biafra.

“There was no application from the defendant. He brought the transmitter into the country illegally,” the witness said.

He added that Kanu later visited the site where the transmitter was kept—in the premises of one Benjamin Madubugu—and filmed a video to assure IPOB members who contributed funds for its purchase.

The witness also described the ESN as an armed group that carried out attacks on security installations and community leaders. He said some members were found at one hideout with human heads and were allegedly consuming human flesh as part of ritual protection.

“We couldn’t locate Onye Army again after his arrest. The police told us he had escaped custody,” the DSS official testified.

Under cross-examination by defence counsel Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), the witness admitted there was no documentation indicating how or when the transmitter entered Nigeria. He confirmed the equipment was located using video analysis and was not seized alongside any weapons at the time of recovery. He also said that Benjamin Madubugu was later charged separately for illegal firearm possession.

He added that while he was informed Kanu had broadcast equipment with him when he was first arrested in Lagos in 2016, he did not personally witness the arrest. The container that housed the transmitter, the witness said, was brought in by one Igwe Anyiba, whom the DSS later discovered was living abroad.

He said he was unaware of any official statement by the Imo State Government suggesting that Gulak’s killing was politically motivated.

After completing cross-examination, Justice James Omotosho discharged the witness and adjourned the matter until Thursday, when the prosecution is expected to present its fifth witness.