• Alleges 170 to 200 security agents killed in South-East

A federal High Court in Abuja, yesterday, heard that the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) did not issue a license to the detained self-acclaimed leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, to import the radio transmitter he allegedly smuggled into the country to operate Radio Biafra.

An official of the Department of State Services (DSS) said this at the resumption of his testimony, as the fourth prosecution witness, in the ongoing terrorism trial of Kanu.

The witness, led in evidence by prosecuting lawyer, Adegboyega Awomolo, said the number of security agents killed because of IPOB activities and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), in the South-East was between 170 and 200. He also gave details of how the late Ahmed Gulak, a former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, was killed on May 30, 2021, in Owerri, Imo State.

The witness said shortly after he and members of his team recovered the transmitter from a premises in Ubuluisiuzor, Anambra State, and brought it to Abuja, the DSS wrote to the NBC to inspect it.

The witness told the court that on November 9, 2015, NBC sent an engineer, who inspected the transmitter and wrote a report.
Awomolo then tendered a certified true copy of the provisional assessment of the radio transmitter report submitted by NBC.

The witness was asked to read a portion of the report, which he did. He said the report indicated that the transmitter was German-made and that it was a radio transmitter made for use on the FM frequency.

The witness said the report also stated that such a transmitter could only be procured and installed after being issued a licence and that NBC has not licensed Radio Biafra to broadcast in Nigeria.

The DSS official added that an investigation by his team revealed that for one to operate a radio station in the country, one must apply to a regulator, who will issue a licence after due clearance by relevant security agencies.

The witness said: “In this case (Kanu’s case), there was no application from the defendant; he brought the transmitter in illegally without approval.”
He also said the investigation confirmed that the defendant is the owner of the transmitter, which he kept on the premises of one Benjamin Madubugu.

The witness said Kanu later came into the country, inspected the transmitter, and made a video to satisfy members of the IPOB, who contributed money for the purchase of the transmitter.

He also read from some publications of the Vanguard newspaper, where it was reported that an arrested Commander of ESN confessed to the activities of his group.