Court Orders DSS Site Trial for Kanu Over Smuggled Radio Biafra Equipment

The ongoing terrorism trial of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has been officially relocated to the Department of State Services (DSS) headquarters in Abuja.

The decision was made by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, who ruled that the proceedings be moved from the traditional courtroom to the DSS facility to facilitate the inspection of critical evidence — a shipping container allegedly used to smuggle a radio transmitter into the country.

According to court submissions, the transmitter was intended for Radio Biafra, a pro-Biafran broadcast platform central to Kanu’s advocacy for the secession of southeastern Nigeria.

Justice Omotosho emphasized that the shift in venue was necessary to enable the court and legal teams to physically inspect the container and the transmitter, which form part of the key evidence in the case.

Kanu is standing trial on terrorism-related charges linked to his push for the actualization of the sovereign state of Biafra — a move the Nigerian government considers unlawful and dangerous to national security.

The relocation of the trial has generated renewed public interest, given the sensitivity of the case and the broader implications for separatist movements in Nigeria.

Kanu remains in DSS custody, where he has been held since his re-arrest in 2021 after being extradited from Kenya under controversial circumstances.