Nnamdi Kanu Stuns Court, Lists Malami, Wike, Sanwo-Olu, Danjuma, Buratai, Others as Witnesses in Defence
Abuja, Nigeria – October 22, 2025
In a dramatic twist to his ongoing trial, the illegally detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has listed an array of high-profile figures, including former Attorney-General of the Federation Abubakar Malami, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, a retired lieutenant-general and former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Theophilus Danjuma, and ex-Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, as witnesses in his defence.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the notice, titled “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”, was filed on October 21, 2025, before the Federal High Court in Abuja. The case is marked FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015 and presided over by Justice James Omotosho.
In the court document, Kanu revealed plans to call 23 witnesses to testify in his defence. These witnesses, according to the filing, are divided into two categories, “ordinary but material witnesses” and “vital and compellable witnesses”, who will be subpoenaed under Section 232 of the Evidence Act, 2011.
The IPOB leader said their testimonies are crucial to the full presentation of his case and the exposure of “political motivations” behind his ordeal, assuring that “no precious time of the honourable court would be delayed.”
Among those named as “compellable” witnesses are Abubakar Malami, Nyesom Wike, Dave Umahi (Minister of Works), Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Theophilus Danjuma, Hope Uzodimma (Governor of Imo State), and former Army Chief Tukur Buratai.
The motion seeks the court’s order to compel their attendance, stating that their evidence is material to the charges brought against him by the Federal Government.
Kanu also requested a 90-day window to open and close his defence, citing the complexity of the case and the number of witnesses to be called. This request stands against Justice Omotosho’s earlier ruling that gave Kanu six consecutive days to commence and conclude his defence starting October 23, 2025.
The development comes amid heightened public tension following recent Free Nnamdi Kanu protest in Abuja, on Oct. 20, demanding Kanu’s release, which was attacked by security operatives, and the arrest of one of his lawyers Barr Aloy Ejimakor and 12 other protesters, including Kanu’s brother, Emmanuel Kanu.
Legal observers say the decision to summon such senior figures, many of them currently serving in government could open new dimensions in the case, the practical and political implications are significant.
Since 2015, Nnamdi Kanu’s journey has been marked by a series of ordeals that have come to define his struggle and the larger Biafran agitation. Arrested in October 2015 and detained for nearly two years, Kanu’s trial has been punctuated by long periods of unlawful incarceration, court delays, and violations of his constitutional rights.
After being granted bail in 2017, his home in Afaraukwu, Abia State, was raided by the Nigerian military during Operation Python Dance, killing at least 27 innocent people at his family home, forcing him into exile.
In June 2021, Kanu was abducted in Kenya under controversial circumstances and extraordinarily renditioned to Nigeria, a move that drew widespread condemnation from human rights groups, including Amnesty International and the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which classified his continued detention as unlawful.
Since then, Kanu has remained in solitary confinement at the Department of State Services (DSS) facility in Abuja, with his health, legal rights, and fair trial guarantees repeatedly called into question.
Justice Omotosho is expected to rule on Kanu’s fresh motion, including the 90-day extension and the issuance of subpoenas, in the coming days.
The development has already stirred political conversations nationwide, with analysts suggesting that Kanu’s legal strategy is designed to expose the role of key government figures in his rendition from Kenya, his continued detention, and the violent clampdown on IPOB supporters.
