Nnamdi Kanu Lines Up Governors, Ex-Govs, Security Chiefs, Others To Testify On Rendition From Kenya, Military Invasion, Rights Violations
Nnamdi Kanu Lines Up Governors, Ex-Govs, Security Chiefs, Others To Testify On Rendition From Kenya, Military Invasion, Rights Violations
They also include Kanu himself, who is listed among the 23 witnesses.
The detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has filed a list of 23 witnesses he intends to call in his defence before the Federal High Court in Abuja, including sitting and former governors, military chiefs, and top government officials.
They also include Kanu himself, who is listed among the 23 witnesses.
According to the document titled “Notice of Number and Names of Witnesses to Be Called by the Defendant,” obtained by SaharaReporters, the witnesses include Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, and former governors David Umahi, Okezie Ikpeazu, and Nyesom Wike, who is now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The list also features top security figures such as Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai (rtd), former Chief of Army Staff; Ahmed Rufai Abubakar, former Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA); and Yusuf Magaji Bichi, Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS).
Witness Categories
The list follows a directive of the Federal High Court made on October 16, 2025, ordering Kanu to open his defence on October 24, 2025, in the long-running terrorism trial filed against him by the Nigerian government.
In compliance, Kanu’s legal team filed the witness notice, indicating that the defence will call witnesses under two categories: Category A – Ordinary Defence Witnesses (Voluntary) and Category B – Hostile and Adverse Witnesses (to be summoned under Section 232 of the Evidence Act, 2011).
According to the filing, the defendant will call witnesses from diverse backgrounds, legal experts, security specialists, community leaders, academics, and political figures, to establish his claims of unlawful rendition, political persecution, and rights violations.
Among the voluntary witnesses listed are Chief Emeka Umeagbalasi, an expert in political history and self-determination, who will testify on the historical and legal context of pro-Biafra movements and the alleged extrajudicial killings of Kanu’s associates.
Attorney Bruce Fein, an international human rights lawyer based in Washington D.C., will testify on the illegality of Kanu’s extraordinary rendition from Kenya in 2021 and its implications for fair trial.
Emeritus Professor Martin Aghaji, Kanu’s treating physician, expected to testify on the defendant’s medical condition and detention impact.
Mr. Barry Sutton, a digital-security expert from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), will examine the authenticity and chain of custody of electronic evidence tendered by the prosecution.
Prince Emmanuel Kanu, the defendant’s younger brother, who witnessed the 2017 military invasion of their family home in Abia State.
Kanu himself is also listed to testify, providing a sworn account of his experiences, including his alleged abduction in Kenya and rendition to Nigeria.
Government and Security Officials
Under Category B, the defence seeks to summon high-ranking officials and former public officeholders to testify as hostile or adverse witnesses.
They include Abubakar Malami, SAN, former Attorney-General of the Federation, to testify on directives related to Kanu’s extraordinary rendition; Ahmed Rufai Abubakar, former NIA Director-General, to speak on the operational and diplomatic coordination of the rendition; and Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai (rtd), to testify on the 2017 military invasion of Kanu’s Umuahia residence.
Others include Engr. David Umahi, then Chairman of the South-East Governors’ Forum, to testify on the proscription of IPOB without judicial order; Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, former Governor of Abia State, to explain his role during the 2017 invasion; Senator Hope Uzodinma, to clarify his public statements on the killing of former presidential aide Ahmed Gulak; Chief (Barr.) Nyesom Wike, to testify on the alleged killings in Obigbo, Rivers State, during the 2020 EndSARS protests; and Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on the findings of the Lagos EndSARS Judicial Panel regarding the Lekki Toll Gate shootings.
The defence also listed Lt. Gen. Theophilus Y. Danjuma (rtd) to testify on his 2018 warning about infiltration of Nigeria’s armed forces, which Kanu’s lawyers say provides political context to his broadcasts on self-defence.
The names of three of the witnesses were withheld. One is described as a forensic linguist and media analyst, who “will analyze the Defendant’s broadcasts and statements, providing linguistic and contextual analysis to rebut prosecution claims of incitement to terrorism”.
Another one is a security expert who “will testify on investigative procedures for terrorism cases and opine on the irregularities in the present investigation,” while the third one is a DSS officer involved in Kanu’s rendition from Kenya.
He is to be “cross-examined regarding direct involvement in the Defendant’s abduction and illegal transfer, fabrication of witness statements, and custodial abuses”.
Kanu’s Legal Position and Prayers to the Court
Kanu’s lawyers undertook to submit sworn statements from all voluntary witnesses and requested that the court issue summonses and witness warrants under Sections 241–242 of the Evidence Act to compel the appearance of hostile witnesses.
They stressed that the testimonies of these witnesses are crucial to ensuring a fair and complete determination of the charges against Kanu.
Background
Kanu, leader of IPOB, has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since June 2021, following his controversial arrest and extradition from Kenya.
He faces charges of terrorism, incitement, and membership of an unlawful organization, allegations he denies, insisting his actions were political and lawful expressions of self-determination under international law.
The trial, which has dragged on for about a decade since 2015, is one of Nigeria’s most politically charged cases, with local and international human rights groups accusing the government of violating due process and human rights in its handling of Kanu and IPOB members.
