Former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and lead defence lawyer in the terrorism trial of Nnamdi Kanu, acclaimed leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Kanu Agabi (SAN) has denied the report that he and members of his team were denied access to their client on Tuesday by officials of the Department of State Services (DSS) in Abuja.
Agabi gave the clarification at the resumed hearing in the case on Wednesday while responding to an enquiry by Justice James Omotosho on the information attributed to a member of the defence team, Alloy Ejimakor, claiming DSS denied Kanu’s legal team access to him.
The judge said Ejimakor made the claim in a post on one of his social media platforms.
While responding, Agabi blamed Ejimakor for the mix-up and commended the conduct of the DSS officials whom he said were very respectful and courteous.
“I was not denied access to the defendant. We had arranged to go there with myself, Ikpeazu, Etiaba, Erokoro. But for some reason, they were not available.
“When I got to the gate around 1 pm, they said our name had not arrived. To be fair, they (the DSS officials) showed me enough respect. I said I would come back another date,” Agabi stated.
He added that he was surprised and became angry when he learnt that a member of his team went to put on the internet that he was not allowed access to the defendant.
When asked by the judge what informed his decision, Ejimakor said he thought Agabi was angry that he was denied access to Kanu when they spoke on the phone, a position the ex-AGF countered and explained that he got angry because Ejimakor gave him the wrong time for the appointment.
Meanwhile, the Court admitted Kanu’s alleged inciting broadcasts, videos calling for the killing of President Bola Tinubu and Minister of the FCT Nyesom Wike as exhibits.
A prosecution witness in the ongoing trial said that the IPOB leader admitted making a broadcast in which he called for the killing of President Tinubu and Wike.
The witness, an official of the Department of State Services (DSS), said Kanu also confirmed offering N100 million bounty for Wike’s head and ordering the burning of Tinubu’s assets and federal government Property in Lagos.
He explained that the IPOB leader made the confirmations while his statement was being taken on July 17, 2021.
The witness, who is the second prosecution witness (PW2), was simply identified as BBB and was led in evidence by the Prosecution Lawyer, Adegboyega Awomolo.
BBB told the court that he took statements from Kanu, and he was permitted to play some recordings of the defendant’s broadcast on Radio Biafra, inciting his followers to engage in violence and to kill.
The court also admitted a June 10, 2021, letter of complaint by a former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, to the DSS, demanding an investigation of the alleged terror activities by Kanu and his followers.
In the letter read by BBB, Malami accused Kanu of encouraging the commission of a series of crimes, including killings and destruction of public property.
The letter cited some broadcasts by Kanu where he instructed IPOB and the Eastern Security Network (ESN) members to attack and kill security personnel and prominent individuals.
The former minister also claimed, among others, that Kanu’s broadcasts incited his followers to kill a chieftain of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ahmed Gulak, as well as to burn a house belonging to Imo state Governor Hope Uzodinma.