Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja has agreed to allow the federal government’s witnesses to testify behind a screen in the alleged terrorism trial of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). The judge granted the permission in a bid to conceal the identities of the witnesses for security reasons.

The federal government’s lawyer, Adegboyega Awomolo SAN, had argued that the witnesses’ identities needed to be protected due to the nature of the charges against Kanu, which borders on terrorism. Awomolo requested that the witnesses be shielded from the public for the same reason, and the judge granted the request.

Kanu’s counsel, Kanu Agabi, did not object to the application but requested similar cooperation from the federal government when arguing Kanu’s bail application. The first witness, code-named PWAAA, has commenced testifying as the government formally opened its case against Kanu.