Court gavel
A Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Emeka Nwite, on Wednesday postponed indefinitely its decision on the admissibility of extra-judicial statements from three terrorism suspects—Haruna Abbas, Ibrahim Musa, and Adam Suleiman—following a trial-within-trial.
The trio faces charges including conspiracy, recruiting for terrorist training, surveilling foreign embassies, and supporting terrorism, under the Terrorism (Prevention) Act 2011, as amended in 2013.
The trial-within-trial was triggered by defense objections claiming the defendants’ statements were coerced, as reported by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Prosecution counsel Bello Abu countered, stating, “The first defendant, Abbas, admitted under cross-examination that his coercion claim was untrue.”
During Wednesday’s session, Abu noted that while the court ordered all parties to submit written addresses, only the prosecution met the deadline, with one defense counsel still non-compliant.
Originally set for October 8, the hearing was expedited following a prosecution request for an accelerated vacation hearing, approved by the Chief Judge.
Justice Nwite, after hearing final arguments, adjourned the case sine die, promising a one-week notice via the court registrar for the ruling.
NAN reports the case, originating in 2014, has faced multiple delays, reassigned to different judges at least three times, restarting each time.
Charges against the defendants include conspiring to prepare for terrorism, securing Nigerian passports and Iranian visas for terrorist training, and recruiting individuals like Musa and Suleiman for such training in Iran, violating Section 17 and Section 1(1)(a) of the Terrorism Act.
They are also accused of supporting terrorism by facilitating training in Iran, attending terrorist meetings, and compiling lists of American and Israeli targets in Lagos, including the U.S. Consulate, sent to an individual in Iran using encrypted communication, breaching Sections 3(a) and 4(1)(a) of the Act. (NAN)
