DSS URGES COURT TO ADMIT CONFESSIONAL STATEMENTS IN IRAN-LINKED TERRORISM TRIAL

Read Time:1 Minute, 19 Second

By Aishat Momoh. O.

The Department of State Services (DSS) on Wednesday urged the Federal High Court in Abuja to admit into evidence the alleged confessional statements made by three men accused of spying on American and Israeli interests in Nigeria on behalf of individuals linked to Iran.

The defendants – Haruna Ali Abbas, Ibrahim Hussaini Musa, and Adam Suleiman – were arrested in 2013 in Kano and Lagos, and have since been facing terrorism-related charges.

At the resumed hearing, the accused persons objected to the use of their statements, insisting they were not made voluntarily. This prompted the court to conduct a “trial-within-trial” to determine their admissibility.

According to the charge sheet, Abbas was apprehended at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport on March 16, 2013, while returning from Lebanon. He is accused of recruiting Musa and Suleiman for terrorism training in Iran. Abbas allegedly compiled a list of American and Israeli facilities in Lagos, including the U.S. Consulate, and forwarded the information to one Abu Ali in Iran using coded emails.

Adopting his final written address, prosecution counsel Bello Abu argued that the statements were made freely and faulted the defendants’ claims of coercion as “an afterthought.” He urged the court to admit them into evidence so the substantive trial could proceed without further delay.

“The matter has commenced earnestly due to the new leadership in DSS, which is working to ensure that slow-moving cases are expedited,” Abu told the court.

Justice Emeka Nwite adjourned ruling on the trial-within-trial to a date to be communicated to both parties.