By Wealth Oghenemaro
The Department of State Services (DSS) has dismissed claims that Nnamdi Kanu, the embattled leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), is being held in solitary confinement, amid ongoing legal proceedings at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Kanu, who is currently on trial for terrorism and treasonable felony charges filed by the Federal Government, was the subject of debate during a hearing on Wednesday. The trial resumed with continued testimony from a DSS operative identified only as “PW-BBB” for security reasons.
Under cross-examination by Kanu’s lead counsel, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN)—a former Attorney-General of the Federation—the witness firmly denied that the DSS engages in solitary confinement practices.
“Solitary confinement is not a practice of the DSS,” the operative stated.
Agabi, raising human rights concerns, argued that Kanu’s prolonged detention equated to solitary confinement and could potentially be classified as “cruel and inhuman treatment.” He pressed the DSS witness on the conditions of Kanu’s confinement and the psychological implications of such extended isolation.
In response, PW-BBB clarified that his involvement was limited to investigative duties and not the direct handling of Kanu’s detention. “I’m not in charge of his custody, and I cannot speak to his psychological condition,” he told the court.
