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SSS Claims IPOB Killed 200+ Security Forces In South East
State Security Service, SSS, witness on Wednesday, told the Federal High Court in Abuja that between 170 and 200 security agents have died due to the activities of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, in the South Eastern Nigeria.
The witness, simply identified as DDD for security reasons, disclosed this before Justice James Omotosho in continuation of his testimony in the ongoing terrorism trial of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the IPOB.
The DDD was led in evidence by the Federal Government’s lawyer, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN.
DDD, who is the 4th prosecution witness (PW-4), said the activities of IPOB and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network, ESN, had led to the death of many security personnel in the region.
He restated that the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, did not issue license to Kanu to import the radio transmitter he allegedly smuggled into the country to operate Radio Biafra.
He said shortly after he and members of his team recovered the transmitter from a premises in Ubuluisiuzor, Anambra, and brought it to Abuja, the SSS wrote the NBC to inspect it.
The witness told the court that on Nov. 9, 2015, the NBC sent an engineer, who inspected the transmitter and wrote a report.

Mr Awomolo then tendered a certified true copy of the provisional assessment of radio transmitter report submitted by the NBC.
DDD was asked to read a portion of the report, which he did.
He said the report indicated that the transmitter was a German made and that it was indeed a radio transmitter made for use on FM frequency.
The witness said the report also stated that such transmitter could only be procured and installed after being issued a licence and that the NBC had not licensed Radio Biafra to broadcast in Nigeria.
The PW-4 added that investigation by his team revealed that for one to operate a radio station in the country, one must apply to a regulator, who would issue a licence after due clearance by relevant security agencies.
“In this case, there was no application from the defendant. He brought in the transmitter illegally without approval,” he said.
He also said investigation was confirmed that the defendant was the owner of the transmitter, which he kept in the premises of one Benjamin Madubugu.
The witness said Kanu later came into the country and inspected the transmitter and made a video to satisfy members of the IPOB, who contributed money for the purchase of the transmitter.
He also read from some publications of the Vanguard newspaper, where it was reported that an arrested commander of ESN confessed to the activities of his group.
The witness said the ESN member, who he identified as Uzuoma Benjamin, aka Onye Army, spoke about how he was recruited and how they allegedly received directives from the defendant.
He allege that the defendant directed them to kill security agents and ensure that a deceased member of the group, Ikonso, was buried with 2000 human heads.
The witness also read where the said Onye Army claimed that he and other members of his group used the heads of 10 girls to prepare charms for their protection.
He said investigation revealed that the invasion of Owerri prison by IPOB members was directed by Kanu in one of his broadcast for his followers to attack and kill security operatives of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
DDD said further investigation revealed that the defendant, in his broadcast directed that Ikonso should be buried with 2000 heads, but that only 30 were gotten.
He said when the SSS requested from the police to access Onye Army, the police claimed he had escaped from custody.
He said during one of SSS’ agents’ raid of ESN members’ hideout, “we saw some ESN members, about seven, with human heads and some eating human flesh, which they said was for spiritual fortification.
“We could not find Onye Army. The police said he had escaped from custody.”
He said there were records about the number of security agents allegedly killed in the South East and that the number stood between 170 and 200.
The witness who said two SSS officials, including his driver, were among the victims, said it cut across all security agencies.
On how the ESN members operate, the witness said they are combatants, who carry arms and attacked homes of prominent individuals and traditional rulers in the region.
He said because they lacked sufficient operational tools, they sometimes set up roadblocks during which they hijack vehicles for their operation.
The witness identified some public property which he said IPOB and ESN members attacked and destroyed in the South East, including police stations.
He also gave details of how the late Ahmed Gulak, the former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, was killed on May 30, 2021 in Owerri, Imo.
On how Gulak died, the witness said he was among the first responders to the scene where the late chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was killed and his corpse recovered.
He said on May 30, 2021, there was a total breakdown of law and order, as a result of the stay-at-home order declared by the defendant, through one of his broadcasts.
The witness said later that day, one of his officers informed him that a prominent politician was killed around Obiagwu and that when they got to the spot, they saw what happened.
He said the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, in the area told him that Gulak was in a hired cab when he was killed by IPOB some members.
The PW-4 said the driver told him that they were heading to the airport from Owerri town, when they saw a check point mounted by men of the Nigerian Air Force who were preventing people from accessing the airport, but decided to take another route where they ran into a check point by IPOB members.
He added that the driver further said the IPOB members ordered the three of them in the car to disembark, and demanded to know their tribes.
He said the driver told him he introduced himself as an Igbo person and that Gulak also said he was an Igbo man.
But that while he (the driver) could speak the Igbo language when they were asked to speak in Igbo, Gulak could not, following which they asked him to remove his cap and saw a Muslim prayer marked on his forehead.
The witness said the driver added that upon seeing the prayer marked, one of the IPOB members said “he is one of them,” following which they shot and killed him.
The SSS official, who said he served In Imo between 2019 and 2023, told the court that the deceased’s corpse was evacuated from the spot where he was killed in the witness’ car.
When he was being cross examined by defence lawyer, Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, the witness said there was no record of the importation of the transmitter said to have been smuggled in to the country by Kanu.
He said he could not say when the transmitter was brought into the country, but that he was among those who located where it was kept in Anambra and brought it to the DSS headquarters in Abuja.
On how they were able to locate the transmitter, the witness said his team used some equipment to analyse a video (showing Kanu inspecting the transmitter) to ascertain the location of the transmitter in Anambra.
He said he did not come across the names Benka Clearing and Forwarding and Chief Isaac Maduka in the course of investigation.
He also said he was not aware that Benka cleared the transmitter, as claimed by Ikpeazu.
When asked if he was aware that Radio Biafra was registered in London and broadcast from there, the witness said when Kanu was arrested in Lagos in 2016, he was arrested with his broadcast equipments.
He said he was not present when the defendant was arrested in Lagos and that all he said about his arrest in Lagos was what were relayed to him.
The witness said the two guns found were not recovered in the container in which the transmitter was kept, but under the mattress of Benjamin Madubugu, who lived in the premises.
The PW-4 said that Madubugu was later charged with unlawful possession of firearms.
The witness said the container was brought into the country by one Igwe Anyiba, who was later found to be living outside the country.
He said he was not aware that the Imo Government issued a statement to the effect that Gulak’s killing was political.
After DDD concluded his evidence, Justice Omotosho discharged him from the witness box and adjourned until June 19 for continuation of trial.
Dailynigeria.com
News
NELFUND Speaks On Alleged Funding Of Tinubu Supporters With Student Loans
NELFUND has rejected allegations that the Federal Government’s student loan scheme is being used to favour supporters or children of members of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, Akintunde Sawyerr, dismissed the claim as “completely ridiculous.”
Moreover, he said the structure of the application system does not allow political affiliation to determine who receives the loans.
Sawyerr spoke during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme.
He explained that the loan scheme is operated through an electronic application process.
Applicants are required to provide personal and academic information, including their names and matriculation numbers.
According to him, the system is designed to establish whether an applicant meets the requirements for the programme.

It does not collect information that would enable NELFUND to determine whether a student belongs to the APC or supports another political party.
“I have not heard this allegation, but I can tell you that it’s a completely ridiculous idea that the administration of Bola Tinubu is focused on trying to fund people who support the party. We are talking about students; many of them are yet to vote, some of them are going to be voting for the first time, [and] many of them are not party members.
“How, in any event, do we determine who is a party member and who isn’t? Even if you are running a manual process, how do you do that? You can’t. It’s unlikely to yield you any result.
“It is a process you have to apply for this loan electronically. If you don’t have a name, you can’t apply for this loan. You provide your matriculation number; you have to be in a public institution,” he said.
The NELFUND boss said the allegation also failed to take into account the nature of the beneficiaries targeted by the programme.
He noted that many students accessing the loans are young people who have not yet participated in an election. Some are also not members of any political party.Executive Branch
Sawyerr therefore maintained that using political affiliation as a basis for deciding beneficiaries would be impractical under the existing system.
He said NELFUND’s focus is on Nigerian students who meet the conditions for the loan and are enrolled in eligible public tertiary institutions.
Sawyerr described the demand for the scheme as “overwhelming”, saying many students and their families were struggling to meet the financial demands of tertiary education.
“The demand has been overwhelming, because clearly a lot of people have struggled to get into these institutions,” he said. “They are hanging on by the skin of their teeth to stay in the institution, and this programme came as a rescue for them.”
He disclosed that NELFUND had so far disbursed about N162 billion in upkeep allowances to students.
The fund is also examining application and disbursement figures as demand increases, with the agency seeking to understand the financial requirements needed to sustain the programme.
The student loan initiative was introduced by the Federal Government as part of efforts to reduce financial barriers to higher education.
President Bola Tinubu signed the Student Loans Act into law in April 2024, paving the way for the current NELFUND structure. The scheme provides interest-free financial support to eligible Nigerian students in public tertiary institutions.
It covers approved institutional charges and upkeep support for qualified beneficiaries.
The programme was designed to give students access to funding without requiring them to depend entirely on their parents or guardians to remain in school.
NELFUND has repeatedly stressed the importance of an electronic process in managing applications and disbursements.
The system allows applicants to submit their information for verification before their applications are processed.
Sawyerr further insisted that the system does not discriminate based on religion, ethnicity or gender.
“We have a system that is focused on people who are Nigerians and meet the standard. The system doesn’t recognise your gender. There is no bias in the system at the front end or the back end.
“This is a system that doesn’t care whether you are of one tribe or the other. This system does not have a view or an opinion on whether you are a Christian, a Muslim, or an African traditional religionist; it doesn’t want to know.”
The NELFUND chief also spoke about the impact of the scheme on student retention.
He said available figures indicated that the programme had contributed to a reduction in the number of students dropping out of tertiary institutions, with the reduction put at about 20 per cent.
Sawyerr also addressed concerns surrounding repayment of the loans.
He maintained that beneficiaries would not be subjected to an unreasonable repayment burden, noting that repayment would be tied to their ability to pay after completing their studies.
Under the current structure, repayment is expected to commence two years after beneficiaries complete the National Youth Service Corps programme.
The NELFUND boss also disclosed that funds President Tinubu announced would be recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and channelled into the student loan scheme had not yet been received by the fund.
News
UK Appoints Trade Commissioner For Africa
The UK Government has appointed Alastair Long as His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (HMTC) for Africa, with a mandate to deepen economic ties and expand commercial partnerships between Britain and the continent.
The UK Department for Business and Trade welcomed Long to the position, according to a statement issued on Monday by the British Deputy High Commission.
The mission said Long would work with African governments, investors, businesses and institutions to strengthen economic relations between the UK and African countries.
It added that his responsibilities would include expanding commercial partnerships, supporting UK and African businesses, attracting investment and helping to build sustainable, resilient and productive economies across the continent.
“Long returns to a region he knows well, having previously served as Deputy Trade Commissioner and then HMTC for Africa between 2019 and 2022.
“Before taking up his current position, he served as His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain from August 2023,” the mission said.
Long said he was thrilled to resume his work in Africa.

He described Africa as the future, saying he had witnessed the continent’s “boundless energy and ambition” during his previous assignments.
“The UK is committed to being a partner that supports African and British growth by listening to African priorities and bringing the very best the UK has to offer.
“I look forward to engaging across the continent, with the UK business community, and with the UK Government team, to realise as many mutual opportunities as possible.”
Long succeeds John Humphrey, who had served as the UK Trade Commissioner for Africa since June 2022.
The British Deputy High Commission said Long inherited strong UK momentum in Africa and would bring extensive trade expertise to the role, as well as the focus and energy required to deepen partnerships and unlock further opportunities for mutual benefit.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the HMTC leads the UK’s overseas efforts to promote trade, investment, export opportunities and trade policy objectives.
The Commissioner works closely with the wider diplomatic network and other government officials to coordinate Britain’s overseas efforts to promote UK trade and prosperity.
The office also has responsibility for the Department for Business and Trade’s work in Africa, including growing the overall trade and investment relationship, improving market access for British companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, and developing trade policy.
Long joined the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office in 2002 and has held previous postings in the Middle East and North Africa.
He was educated at Clare College, Cambridge University, and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.
NAN
News
FG Gives Update on New Minimum Wage Negotiation, Reveals Next Action
The Federal Government has indicated that the review of Nigeria’s national minimum wage will be addressed through fresh negotiations with organised labour, amid growing pressure for an upward adjustment of the current ₦70,000 wage.
The development comes as workers and labour unions intensify calls for a new wage structure, arguing that rising living costs have significantly eroded the purchasing power of the minimum wage introduced in 2024.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) had earlier announced plans to commence negotiations with the Federal Government on a new minimum wage in 2026. The unions said the review was necessary because of increases in the cost of food, transportation, housing, healthcare and other essential services.
The Federal Government had also acknowledged that the current ₦70,000 minimum wage no longer fully reflects prevailing economic realities. Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, said the government would approach the next wage review as a partner to labour, while stressing that workers’ welfare should also be addressed through measures covering housing, healthcare, transportation and other social interventions.
The latest development has been accompanied by renewed demands from federal workers. The Federal Workers Forum recently asked the government to increase the minimum wage from ₦70,000 to ₦300,000, citing the rising cost of living and what it described as inadequacies in the implementation of the existing wage structure.
However, the demand for ₦300,000 has faced opposition from sections of the Organised Private Sector. The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry and other business groups warned that an abrupt increase to that level could fuel inflation, increase production costs and potentially result in job losses if businesses are unable to sustain the higher wage bill.
The debate is therefore expected to centre on finding a balance between workers’ demand for improved wages and the ability of governments and employers to sustain any new wage structure without worsening inflation or threatening employment.

The current ₦70,000 national minimum wage was signed into law in July 2024 following negotiations between the Federal Government, organised labour and the private sector. Labour has since maintained that the rapid increase in the cost of living has made another review necessary.
As the fresh negotiations gather momentum, workers are awaiting a formal framework and timeline for the talks, while government, labour and employers are expected to negotiate a wage level that reflects current economic realities and remains sustainable for the Nigerian economy.
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