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Why I Listed Sanwo-Olu, Wike, Umahi, Military Chiefs, Others As My Witnesses – Nnamdi Kanu
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Incarcerated leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), lNnamdi Kanu, has explained why he wants governors, ministers and former military chiefs among notable personalities he listed as witnesses in his terrorism case.
The IPOB leader, whose no-case submission was dismissed by Justice James Omotosho, is due to open his defence on the trial.
Ministers Nyesom Wike (FCT), David Umahi (Works), former Army chiefs Gen. Theophilus Danjuma and Gen. Tukur Buratai are among the 23 witnesses whose names were frontloaded by the IPOB leader.
Also listed as witnesses are Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, former Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, former Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, Director-General of the Director of State Service (DSS) Oluwatosin Ajayi, his predecessor, Yusuf Bichi, and former Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) Ahmed Rufai Abubakar.
In a document filed on Wednesday, which he personally signed, Kanu prayed the court to extend the six days earlier granted him to conduct his defence to 90 days.
Justice Omotosho at the last hearing, granted his request for a private meeting with his team of lawyers on October 22 in the courtroom of the Federal High Court in Abuja, preparatory for today’s commencement of his defence.
In the document, Kanu categorised his witnesses into two: “ordinary, but material defence witnesses (voluntary) and “material and vital witnesses (to be summoned under Section 232 of the Evidence Act 2011).”
He also indicated his intention to testify in person.
According to the document, Kanu said he plans to call Wike “to testify on the Obigbo Massacre, following the EndSARS protests and the role of security forces under his authority.”
He said Uzodinma is “to testify on public statements, following Ahmed Gulak’s death and subsequent clarification exonerating IPOB.”
Kanu said he would be inviting Gen. Danjuma “to testify on his 2018 public warning, urging self-defence against infiltrated armed forces, contextualizing the defendant’s advocacy for self-defence.”
He said Buratai would “testify on the 2017 invasion of the defendant’s residence and the chain of command authorizing the military operation.”
Kanu said Sanwo-Olu will “testify on the findings of the Lagos State EndSARS Judicial Panel, particularly the Lekki Toll-Gate massacre, evidencing state patter of repression.”
Umahi is scheduled “to testify regarding the proscription of IPOB without judicial order and its consequences,” while Ikpeazu will “testify on his knowledge and administrative participation In the 2017 military invasion within Abia State.”
Kanu wants Malami “to testify on directives and authorizations connected with the defendant’s extraordinary rendition from Kenya in June 2021.”
Also, Ajayi is being invited “to clarify on his pubic lectures and statements on terrorists and invaders, relevant to interpreting the defendant’s own broadcasts.”
Kanu said Bichi should “testify on knowledge and authorization of rendition operations, custody conditions, and compliance with legal procedures.”
He said Abubakar is expected” to testify on the operational and diplomatic coordination of the rendition.”
Kanu said a DSS official, whose name he failed to disclose, will be invited “to be cross-examined regarding direct involvement in the defendant’s abduction and illegal transfer, fabrication of witness statements, and custodial abuses.”
Those he listed as ordinary witnesses include Chief Emeka Umeagbalasi, who he described as an “expert in political history and self-determination.”
According to the document, Umeagbalasi “will testify on the historical and legal context of self-determination movements (such as IPOB) and their treatment under Nigerian and international law, including extra-judicial killings of the defendant’s associates.”
Mazi Benjamin Madubugwu, an”associate of the defendant and former co-accused” is expected to “testify to the internal structure and objectives of IPOB, refuting claims that it is a terrorist organization.”
Chief Dan Ulasi, a community leader in Umuahia, Abia State, is being invited to “testify on the perception of the defendant’s broadcasts as political commentary rather than incitement.”
Bruce Fein, described as an international human rights and constitutional lawyer, based in Washington, D.C., United States, would “testify on the illegality of the defendant’s extraordinary rendition and its implications for jurisdiction and fair trial.”
Emeritus Professor Martin Aghaji, who Kanu said is his “treating physician,” is to “testify on the defendant’s medical condition, effects of detention, and fitness to stand trial.”
Barry Sutton, a “digital-security expert at the Massachussets Institute of Technology, Massachussets MA, USA, would “examine the integrity of the electronic evidence, including chain of custody, authenticity, and tampering issues.”
Chief Godwin I. Chionye, described as a “senior lawyer and community elder” from Isiama Afaraukwu Ibeku Umuahia, Abia State, is to “testify on the defendant’s good character and standing in his community.”
Prince Emmanuel Kanu of No. 1 Eze Okwu-Kanu Close, Umuahia, Abia State, described as an “eyewitness to the 2017 military invasion of the defendant’s residence,” is expected to “testify to the events, casualties, and use of excessive force by the army.”
Kanu said he will, in his testimony, provide “a sworn account of the facts, denying the allegations, and explaining the political context of his statements and actions.”
Part of the document reads: “Notice of number and names of witnesses to be called by the defendant and request for witness summons/subpoena and the variation of the time within which to defend the counts/charges against the defendant.
“Take notice that pursuant to the order of this honourable court made on the 16th day of October 2025, directing the defendant to commence his defence on the 24th day of October 2025, the defendant shall call a total of twenty three (23) witnesses, divided into two categories, viz:
*Category A – ordinary, but material defence witnesses (voluntary).
*Category B – vital and compellable witnesses (to be summoned under Section 232 of the Evidence Act, 2011).
“Given the materiality of the prospective evidence of the witnesses slated for the defence of the defendant, the time frame within which the defendant is ordered to present and conduct defence of the charges appears grossly inadequate, hence your lordship is urged to vary the timeframe and accommodate at least a period of 90 days for the defence.
“The Registrar of the of the court be ordered to issue subpoenas or witness summons on Category B witnesses or be permitted
“The defendant respectfully prays this honourable court to issue all necessary summonses and witness warrants under Sections 241-242 of the Evidence Act, 2011 and under the inherent jurisdiction
“The defendant undertakes to provide the sworn statements of all voluntary witnesses to this honourable court and to notify the prosecution within a reasonable time.
“The honourable court to note that the appearance of these witnesses is essential to ensuring a fair and complete determination of the issues before the court and the honourable court and the entirety of Nigeria will enjoy the robust evidence that would surface.
“No precious time of the honourable court would be delayed and it would interest the honourable court and the general public that justice is not only done but manifestly seen to have been done.”
A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and Deputy Director of the Presidential Campaign Council, Chief Dele Momodu, has described former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as the most nationally formidable and experienced among the leading contenders for the 2027 presidential election.
Momodu said Atiku’s experience at the national level distinguishes him from President Bola Tinubu and former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi.
He stated this on Wednesday during an interview on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, in Abeokuta.
“If you look at the antecedents of the three major candidates, between Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, you will see that Atiku is the most experienced. He has managed our country at the highest level,” he said.
Momodu traced Atiku’s political journey to the 1992 Social Democratic Party (SDP), presidential primary where he contested against late MKO Abiola and stepped down for him.
He said Atiku accepted the outcome without crisis even after he was not picked as Abiola’s running mate, describing it as a mark of true democratic temperament.
“He is the only one who started from around 1992, contested the SDP primary against Abiola and stepped down with uncommon equanimity. He did not make any noise,” Momodu said.
He noted that Atiku was among the founders of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and served as Vice-President from 1999 to 2007.
Comparing Atiku with Obi, Momodu argued that while Obi’s best was demonstrated in Anambra, Atiku’s was at the presidency level managing the national economy.
“Peter Obi has tried his best in Anambra, while Atiku’s best is at the level of vice president controlling the economy of Nigeria. The difference is clear. He has matured in experience and exposure,” he said.
Momodu also said President Tinubu’s experience was largely limited to Lagos.
“What I’m trying to say is that Tinubu’s experience was limited to Lagos, and that is why when he became president, he thought Nigeria was Lagos. And he has found out now that Nigeria is not Lagos,” he said.
He argued that the current economic hardship under the present administration did not show prosperity, insisting Atiku remained better positioned to lead the country.
“Well, we are yet to see that prosperity, and if yesterday would determine today and tomorrow, it is obvious that Tinubu should retire now and let someone else do it,” Momodu added.
DailyPost
President Bola Tinubu says he has no regrets over the removal of petrol subsidy and other economic reforms introduced by his administration, insisting that Nigeria could not borrow its way to greatness.
Meanwhile, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, has warned Nigerians against returning to petrol subsidy. He said the backtrack could trigger capital flight, undermining investor confidence and pushing the Naira to N3,000, N3,500 or even N4,000 per dollar.
But the Director of Media and Publicity of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), Kola Ologbondiyan, challenged Oyedele to publish the economic model behind his warning that a return to fuel subsidy could push the naira to N4,000 per dollar.
The President spoke on Monday during the City Boys Movement retreat in Abuja, where he charged members of the group to mobilise support for his administration ahead of the 2027 general elections, insisting that the country’s future mattered more than the ambition of any individual candidate.
“No regrets,” Tinubu said, insisting that his administration would not be pushed back from its reform agenda.
He took a swipe at his political opponents, promising to restore the petrol subsidy, saying Nigeria could no longer afford to pay the fuel subsidy, and warning that reversing the policy would take the country back to an unsustainable economic path.
Defending his decision to remove the subsidy on his first day in office, Tinubu said the country was on the verge of financial collapse and could no longer afford the policy’s cost.
Tinubu also sought to reassure Nigerians about the direction of the economy, arguing that growth was steady and that the sacrifices associated with his reforms would ultimately offer citizens a future worth believing in.
Oyedele disclosed during a press briefing of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Annual Meetings in Bangkok, Thailand, yesterday, that investors had repeatedly questioned whether the government would abandon its reforms ahead of the next election cycle.
Ruling out the reversal of the government’s economic reforms, he maintained that any signal that Tinubu’s administration was contemplating or reinstating the subsidy would immediately affect financial markets, raise borrowing costs and worsen economic pressures on households.
“In all the meetings I have had, I came to a conclusion that the markets, including the domestic market, which you can read from the capital market, and the international market, have largely written off the opposition in Nigeria as unserious.
“If, for any reason, the President were to say we are merely considering the return of fuel subsidy, capital would react immediately, airfares would struggle, the naira would come under severe pressure, potentially moving towards 3,000, 3,500 or even 4,000.
The very fuel people want subsidised would become far more expensive in Naira terms,” Oyedele warned.
However, Ologbondiyan accused the Federal government of using fear to discourage debate on fuel subsidy, insisting that Nigerians deserve evidence, not alarming projections, on the potential economic consequences of restoring the policy.
Speaking to journalists, he described the minister’s warning as scaremongering and demanded that the government explain how it arrived at the projected exchange rate.
“The Minister of Finance is merely scaremongering. He cannot claim that a return to fuel subsidy will cause the naira to depreciate to N4,000 to the dollar without showing Nigerians the model behind that projection,” he said.
He questioned the reliance on investors’ concerns to oppose a subsidy’s return, challenging the government to identify the sources of the projections and disclose their calculations.
President Bola Tinubu has expressed sadness over the death of Ambassador Patrick Dele Cole, describing him as a distinguished diplomat, journalist, politician and public servant.
Cole died at 86.
In a statement on Saturday, Tinubu said Cole devoted his life to national service and brought distinction to his work in diplomacy, journalism and politics.
“His career reflected the enduring value of dialogue, tact, mutual respect and the pursuit of shared interests in advancing national development and international cooperation,” the President said.
Tinubu noted Cole’s contributions to Nigeria’s media landscape, particularly as Managing Director of the Daily Times, where he upheld the role of the press in holding public officials accountable, speaking truth to power and strengthening democratic governance.
“His legacy in journalism and public life remains an enduring part of our national story,” he said.
The President said at 86, Cole witnessed defining moments in Nigeria’s history and contributed to national development, adding that his life stands as a testament to experience, principled engagement and commitment to public good.
Tinubu extended condolences to Cole’s family, friends, professional associates and all whose lives he touched, praying that memories of his remarkable life will bring comfort and strength.
“May Almighty God grant Ambassador Cole eternal rest and give his family and all who mourn him the fortitude to bear this profound loss,” he said.
