A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has okayed the application by the federal government to secretly try the witnesses line up to testify against the terroristr negotiator, Mr Tukur Mamu over his role in the train attack in year 2022. The presiding Judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo gave the order following an-exparte motion moved by D.E. Kwase, counsel to the federal government, AGF office. The ex-parte motion marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/96/2023, Kaswe said the application dated May 11, was filed on June 15.
The Senior lawyer said the motion was brought pursuant to Section 36(4) , (A), (B) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Section 232 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015, including Section 73 (1), (2) (C) and (4) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Meanwhile, on the side of the federal government, four prayers were pressed which include; “An order of this Honourable Court excluding persons other than parties and their legal representatives at the hearing of the above named charge except members of the accredited press.
As prayed, Justice Ekwo granted the motion “An order of this Honourable Court vacating the court room whenever the prosecution witnesses are coming to testify. An order of this Honourable Court shielding the physical identity of the prosecution witnesses by wearing facial masks and or the use of screen whenever prosecution witnesses are testifying.
“An order of this Honourable Court directing the use of pseudo names by prosecution witnesses and deleting the real names and addresses of prosecution witnesses throughout the proceedings of this case.”
Eailer when the file was called, the defendant, Mamu was not in court, Kwase interjected saying, the defendant was on his way with the operatives.
Kwase said, “I urge this honourable court to stand down this matter as they are still on their way coming,” he prayed.
“Do you think this is a stand-down court? That application is refused,” the judge said. It was at this point that Kaswe informed the court of the motion ex-parte already filed; he then sought the permission to take the motion.
However, Mamu’s lawyer, Abdul Mohammed, SAN, opposed the application, describing it as an attempt to stall today’s proceedings already scheduled for trial commencement.
He argued that, n the last adjourned date, the prosecution was given three days but they failed to utilise it.
The matter was then adjourned to July, 21 for trial commencement.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Mamu, a former terrorists’ negotiator, was, on March 21, arraigned by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation on 10 counts bordering on terrorism financing, especially on the recent Abuja-Kaduna train attack.
Mamu pleaded not guilty to the charges, while the court on April 27th declined his bail on ground of ill-health.
The court premised it point that a person who is being tried for terrorist charges could not be granted bail, also his failure to debunk the claims contained in the counter-affidavit filed to oppose his bail application by the
Department of State Services (DSS), the agency keeping him in custody.
Mamu was arrested on Sept. 6, 2022, on his way to Saudi Arabia for Lesser Hajj and was detained at Cairo International Airport before being repatriated to Nigeria for trial.
Charges pressed against him by the federal government was aiding and abating terrorism from the families of the train attack.
He was accused of collecting various sums of monies from families of the victims of the train attack on behalf of the terrorists.
He was said to have collected $420, 000 from families of the attack, and another N21 million from other set of families of the train attack.
He is also accused of concealing the terrorism funds in his Kaduna residence in violation of provisions of the Terrorism Prevention, Prohibition Act. (NAN)