A Department of State Services (DSS) official has told a Federal High Court in Abuja that between 170 and 200 security personnel have been killed in Nigeria’s South-East region due to the activities of the banned Indigenous People of Biafra, (IPOB) and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network, (ESN).
Testifying at the trial of IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu on Wednesday, the DSS witness claimed the killings were carried out on Kanu’s directives, citing confessions from a key ESN member, Uzuoma Benjamin (alias “Onye Army”), who allegedly said they aimed to bury a fallen commander, Ikonso, with 2,000 human heads – but only managed to collect 30. The witness said some ESN members were found with human heads and others were allegedly consuming human flesh for “spiritual fortification”.
He also linked Kanu to the illegal importation of a German-made FM radio transmitter used to operate Radio Biafra, without approval from the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC). A report by the NBC confirmed the transmitter was unlicensed, violating broadcasting regulations.
The witness recounted the 2021 killing of former presidential aide Ahmed Gulak in Imo State, saying it occurred during a stay-at-home order allegedly issued by Kanu. He said Gulak’s killers stopped his vehicle at an IPOB checkpoint and singled him out after he failed to speak Igbo and was identified as a Muslim.
He added that IPOB and ESN members were behind attacks on security forces, police stations, and traditional leaders, often hijacking vehicles and setting up illegal roadblocks due to limited logistics.
The case continues.
