Court gavel
Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja has ordered an accelerated hearing in the long-running trial of five men accused of masterminding the August 26, 2011, bombing of the United Nations building in Abuja.
The order followed an application by prosecuting counsel, Alex Izinyon (SAN), who informed the court that the case had lingered for nearly 15 years and required urgent attention in the interest of justice.
Izinyon urged the court to allow daily proceedings where possible, in line with practice directions on terrorism-related cases, noting that “it was in the interest of all parties that the case be promptly determined.”
He added that the prolonged nature of the trial had placed undue strain on both the prosecution and the defendants. With no objection from defence counsel, Justice Nwite granted the application for an expeditious hearing.
The defendants, including Kabiru Al-Barnawi and four others, are being prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS). At the resumed hearing, a senior operative of the agency, testifying as PW3, told the court that the DSS conducted its investigations professionally.
His testimony formed part of a trial-within-trial aimed at determining whether the defendants’ statements were made voluntarily.
While being cross-examined by counsel to the second defendant, Bala Dakum, the witness admitted that he could not recall all the details in a video recording admitted as Exhibit C. However, he maintained that the equipment used met legal and international standards.
He explained that, “Every official interaction between the interviewers and defendants was duly recorded,” adding that cautionary words were administered and that the defendant voluntarily chose to proceed with the interview.
Responding to claims of possible editing or gaps in the recording, the witness insisted that the forensic device was tamper-proof.
“In a nutshell, the device records on two digitally exact DVDs in real time… and it is not designed to be paused or stopped midway into interview,” he said.
He also noted that interviewers’ faces were excluded from recordings for security reasons, stressing that, “The standard operating procedure of the SSS provides for protection in the interest of the personal security for the interviewers.” The case was subsequently adjourned to March 4 for continuation of hearing.
