By Admin
The Department of State Services, DSS, yesterday, denied allegations that it kept the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, in solitary confinement.
Kanu, who is facing a seven-count terrorism and treasonable felony charge preferred against him by the Federal Government, has been in custody of the security agency since 2021
At the resumed hearing of the case, yesterday, a DSS operative whose identity was shielded for security reasons, continued his testimony as a witness before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Answering questions while being cross-examined by Kanu’s legal team led by a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Kanu Agabi, SAN, the operative, who was simply identified as PW- BBB, insisted that “solitary confinement is not a practice of the DSS.”
Agabi, SAN, had expressed his concerns over Kanu’s prolonged detention, alleging that he was kept in solitary confinement.
In his response, the witness, while refuting the claim, told the court that he was merely an investigator, though he admitted that he is not Kanu’s “handler.”
Not deterred by the response, Agabi, SAN, further queried the legality of Kanu’s continued detention which he said constituted “cruel and inhuman treatment.”
Responding, the witness told the court that he could not testify about Kanu’s psychological state as it was not part of his investigative duty.
The witness added that he was not involved in the drafting of the charge against the defendant and could not remember when or how many times the charge had been amended by FG.
Asked if the extant charge before the court was not “speculative,” the witness said his primary focus was on investigation and not on matters relating to litigation.
Meanwhile, the court admitted in evidence, a medical report and the death certificate of a former presidential aide, Mr. Ahmed Gulak.
The prosecution had alleged that Gulak, who served ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, was murdered in Imo State on May 30, 2021, after Kanu, in a broadcast, ordered his followers to deal with anyone violating his sit-at-home directive.
Trial Justice James Omotoso admitted his death certificate in evidence after it was tendered through the witness.
Kanu’s legal team did not object to the admissibility of the documents.
Equally tendered in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Mr. Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, included a police report from Owerri, Imo State, linking Gulak’s death to gunmen suspected to be members of the IPOB.
However, Agabi, SAN, challenged the credibility and completeness of a video evidence that depicted Kanu’s interrogation by the DSS, noting that only the defendant and his team were visible in the footage.
The witness told the court that what was shown in the video was the standard procedure of the DSS, maintaining that what was tendered was the full recording.
When pressed further, the witness said he could not recall whether he wore a mask during the interview.
The proceeding was halted after Kanu’s lawyer informed the court that he was yet to receive documents he applied to get from the police, which he said would help the case of the defence.
Agabi’s request for an adjournment was opposed by the prosecution which alleged a deliberate ploy by the defence to slow down the pace of the trial.
Awomolo, SAN, stressed that the court he earlier ordered accelerated hearing of the case, adding that he was not aware that the defence team requested for such documents.
More so, the government lawyer disclosed that he had five more witnesses that were ready to mount the box to testify against the defendant.
He decried that the case had stalled for ten years due to needless applications by the defence team.
In his intervention, Justice Omotosho held that though the practice direction provided for day-to-day hearing in such trial, he said the court was minded to accede to the adjournment request, in the interest of justice.
Nevertheless, before he adjourned the case, the trial judge sought clarification over claims that the DSS barred Kanu’s lawyers from having access to him.
In his response, Agabi, SAN, dismissed the claim and explained that he went to the DSS facility much earlier than the 2pm he was supposed to be there.
