The Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice James Omotosho, on Wednesday viewed multiple video recordings of the 2015 interrogation of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, submitted by the Department of State Services (DSS) as evidence in the ongoing trial.
The prosecution presented the videos in a bid to demonstrate that Kanu voluntarily gave his statements during his interrogation in DSS custody. However, the footage appeared to tell a different story. In several instances throughout the recordings, Kanu was heard insisting that he had been denied access to his legal counsel.
“This is the third time I am making statements without my lawyer. Record me and let the world know,” Kanu declared in one of the video clips played in open court.
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Justice Omotosho, visibly attentive to the defendant’s repeated assertions in the footage, remarked, “I heard him mentioning repeatedly that his lawyer wasn’t there. I will look into that alongside the involuntariness.”
The defense team, led by senior advocate Paul Erokoro, argued that the videos presented by the DSS were heavily edited and did not capture the full context of Kanu’s detention and interrogation. According to the defense, critical portions—particularly those that may show coercion or threats—were omitted from the recordings.
“The absence of legal representation during these recorded sessions fundamentally undermines the prosecution’s claim of voluntariness,” one of the defense lawyers noted after the proceedings.
The court had earlier ordered a “trial within trial” to determine whether the statement made by Kanu in 2015 was obtained under duress, a decision sparked by allegations that DSS operatives threatened Kanu and denied him legal access at the time.
The proceedings are set to continue on Thursday, May 30, with further arguments expected from both legal teams regarding the admissibility of the interrogation videos and the voluntariness of Kanu’s statement.
