“We Caught IPOB Members Eating Human Flesh” – DSS Tells Court

In a chilling testimony before the Federal High Court in Abuja, an official of the Department of State Services (DSS) revealed that members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), were caught eating human flesh during a security operation. The DSS witness, who testified in the terrorism trial of IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu, said this occurred during a raid on an ESN hideout where seven members were found with human heads and others consuming human flesh for what they claimed was “spiritual fortification.”

The prosecution, led by senior lawyer Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), presented the DSS official as its fourth witness. The witness told the court that IPOB’s violent activities have resulted in the deaths of between 170 and 200 security operatives in the Southeast, including officers from the DSS, police, and military. He said ESN members often operated like combatants, attacking the homes of prominent individuals and traditional rulers, sometimes hijacking vehicles at illegal roadblocks due to a lack of operational tools.

He also testified that Nnamdi Kanu illegally brought a German-made radio transmitter into the country without a license from the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to operate Radio Biafra. The equipment, he said, could only be procured with regulatory approval, which Kanu never sought. IPOB members allegedly raised funds to purchase the transmitter.

In his statement, the witness detailed gruesome revelations, including a confession by an ESN member identified as Uzuoma Benjamin, also known as “Onye Army.” He claimed that Benjamin admitted receiving orders from Kanu to kill security agents and to ensure that a deceased commander, Ikonso, was buried with 2,000 human heads. Though only 30 were reportedly obtained, Benjamin also confessed to using the heads of 10 girls to prepare charms for protection. The witness said when the DSS attempted to interrogate Benjamin further, police claimed he had escaped custody.

The court also heard a detailed account of the May 30, 2021, killing of former presidential aide Ahmed Gulak in Owerri. The DSS witness, who said he was among the first responders, recounted statements from the driver of Gulak’s vehicle. The driver claimed they encountered a checkpoint mounted by IPOB members after avoiding a military blockade en route to the airport. After being ordered to disembark and questioned about their ethnicity, Gulak was reportedly identified by a Muslim prayer mark on his forehead and was executed on the spot, despite claiming to be Igbo.

During cross-examination by defence counsel Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), the DSS official admitted he could not confirm when the transmitter was imported or whether it was cleared by Benka Clearing and Forwarding, as claimed. He also acknowledged that while Radio Biafra was registered in London, Kanu was arrested in Lagos in 2016 with broadcast equipment. The witness said the transmitter was located in Anambra State using video analysis tools and was later transported to DSS headquarters in Abuja.

He added that two firearms found in the course of the investigation were not recovered with the transmitter but from beneath the mattress of a resident identified as Benjamin Madubugu, who was charged separately with illegal possession of firearms. The container holding the transmitter was reportedly brought in by one Igwe Anyiba, who resides abroad.

The witness said he was unaware of the Imo State Government’s claim that Gulak’s killing was politically motivated. Following his testimony, Justice James Omotosho adjourned proceedings until Thursday for the fifth prosecution witness to appear.