A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja was told on Friday, May 2, that Simon Ekpa, an associate of the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, will soon be extradited to Nigeria for prosecution.
The revelation came from a Department of State Services (DSS) official identified as PWAAA, who testified during the continuation of Kanu’s trial. The witness said Ekpa would be brought back to face trial for allegedly supporting Kanu in his pro-Biafra agitation.
Under cross-examination by Kanu’s lawyer, Kanu Agabi (SAN), the DSS operative admitted that he only became aware of other individuals backing Kanu through media reports and social media. He stated that he was unaware of any other person besides Kanu currently being prosecuted in connection with the agitation.
The witness said he could not recall Kanu ever making statements against corruption, youth unemployment, or offering apologies to the President and Igbo leaders. He also claimed not to remember Kanu describing IPOB as a voluntary and non-violent organisation. While acknowledging the presence of killings in the North and other parts of the country, he said he could not link such violence to self-determination struggles and affirmed the government’s efforts to curb the violence.
Providing a background on Kanu’s 2015 arrest in Lagos, the DSS witness noted that the defendant was apprehended in a hotel and that all recovered items belonged to Kanu. No weapons or signs of public disturbance were reportedly found on the woman arrested with him. Although the items may not have been offensive on their own, the witness argued that their intended use could suggest otherwise. He said his role did not include analysing the items or bringing others to confront Kanu, and confirmed that Kanu’s statement was taken without the presence of his lawyer.
The court admitted a long list of items recovered from Kanu’s hotel room as evidence. These included electronic devices such as laptops, modems, mobile phones, microphones, and audio recorders, as well as personal effects like shoes, perfumes, wristwatches, and bank cards. Also among the exhibits were documents tagged IPOB, passports, one Nigerian and one British, bearing Kanu’s full name, and various accessories.
Justice James Omotosho adjourned the case to May 6, 7, and 8 for continuation of the hearing.
