Oh, so a trial within a trial is actually kinda weird but makes sense when you hear about it. In Nnamdi Kanu’s court case, it just means the judge has to stop the main case for a bit and run this mini-trial to figure out only one thing: Did the DSS force Kanu to make the statements he signed, or did he do it on his own? So instead of arguing about the whole case, both sides only talk about this one part. Kanu and his lawyers say he was pressured and scared into confessing, while the DSS totally denies it and brought their own people to say it was all above board.

From what I’ve seen in TV shows and some school lessons, courts do this so you don’t end up using evidence that shouldn’t count. If the judge decides Kanu was forced, then whatever he said to the DSS probably gets thrown out, and it might mess with the prosecution’s case. But if the judge thinks the confession was fine, then it goes into the main trial. It’s basically a legal check to make sure nobody’s rights got stomped on, and it seems like a pretty big deal right now in his whole situation. I can’t imagine the stress of having your fate decided by how something like this plays out!