•Defence lawyer hints on filing no-case submissions

The federal government Thursday closed its case in the ongoing terrorism trial of the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, who is leading the prosecution team of the federal government made the announcement after the 5th prosecution witness (PW-5), identified as EEE for security reasons, was discharged from the witness box, after he was cross examined by one of Kanu’s lawyers, Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN.

According to Awomolo, the prosecution was satisfied that from the avalanche of evidence tendered, including broadcast of activities of the leader of the pro-Biafra nation, the government had sufficiently satisfied the need to close its case.

“I therefore close the case,” he said.

Reacting, the lead defense counsel, Chief Kanu Agabi, informed the court that they would be opting for a no-case submission, which would be filed in due course.

Earlier, in his evidence-in-chief, the 5th witness who is an officer of the DSS at the headquarters in Abuja, said he was directed to lead a team of security officers to the southern region of the country to obtain records of activities that occurred between 2020 & 2021 relating to the End SARS protest.

According to the witness, his assignment included obtaining records of public properties that were destroyed and death certificates of security officers who died during the END SARS protests.

EEE was then shown three documents of the report of the End SARS assessments, the list of officers that died, and the death certificates of the officers.

Following his confirmation his lawyer sought to tender same in evidence.

Ikpeazu however informed the court that the defense team would register their objection at the appropriate time, while the documents were subsequently admitted and marked as exhibits; PWD2, PWD2A, and PWD2B respectively.

A summary of the documents revealed that a total of 128 policemen, 37 army officers and 10 DSS agents were killed within the period. Similarly, a total of 164 police stations were destroyed, as well as 19 facilities of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) destroyed.

Under cross examination, EEE admitted he was not involved in the investigation of the crimes allegedly committed by the defendant, but investigated the fallout of the End SARS protest which the defendant enabled through his broadcasts.

When asked whether the entire End SARS protest was carried out because Kanu asked them to protest, the witness said he doesn’t know, adding that he knows the defendant asked the people to attack security officials and destroy public property.

Ikpeazu: So, when people destroyed properties in Osun and Lagos States during the End SARS protest, you are saying that they did that because the defendant asked them to? Are you saying categorically that the End SARS issue is a Biafran issue?

EEE: My assignment was not to investigate Biafra; my assignment was to investigate the End SARS issue to which the defendant incited the public.

Ikpeazu: Have you heard of Aisha Yesufu, the one that lead protests?

EEE: Yes, I’ve heard about her.

Ikpeazu: Is she Igbo or from Abia State?

EEE: I have never investigated her, so I don’t know.

Ikpeazu: Are you aware that End SARS protest was chiefly against police brutality especially with the SARS faction of the police?

EEE: There are usually two causes of an insurrection: the open causes and the underlying causes.

Police brutality could be the secondary cause of the protest, the real reasons for the protests was because some subversive elements incited the public against the government. In this case the defendant’s broadcasts was one of those underlying causes.

Ikpeazu: What organization is the defendant allegedly leading?

EEE: IPOB.

Is IPOB concerned with happenings in Lagos, Ibadan, Ile-Ife, Igbajo, etc…

EEE: I don’t know.

Ikpeazu drew the witness’s attention to page 565 of the document which was a report about what happened in Osun State during the End SARS, stating that one line read “no life was lost in Ekiti State”.

Ikpeazu: Is Ekiti State in Osun?

EEE: No.

Ikpeazu pointed out that from page 1-668 of the document which stated that the report was about the destruction associated with the End SARS protest”, adding that from page 669 it had an addendum which read “associated with IPOB/ESN activities”.

Ikpeazu: Why is this?

EEE: I don’t know.