The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Monday, ordered the remand of four suspected terrorists linked to notorious bandit kingpin Bello Turji in Kuje Correctional Centre.
The trial judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, in a short ruling, ordered the remand of the alleged bandits after they took their plea.
All defendants present in court for the arraignment pleaded not guilty to the charges after it was read to them in both English and Hausa since one of the defendants, Hashimu, a.k.a. Doctor, told the court that he doesn’t understand English language.
The defendants are standing trial on eleven counts marked FHC/ABJ/CR/633/2024, bordering on terrorism, preferred against them by the Attorney General of the Federation.
In the charge dated and filed on December 16 by the Director, Department of Public Prosecutions, Federal Ministry of Justice, M.B. Abubakar, has as Musa Kamarawa, Abubakar Hashimu, a.k.a. Doctor, Bashir Abdullahi, Samuel Chinedu and Lucky Chukwuma.
Bello Turji, Aminu Muhammad and Sani Lawal were listed as the 6th, 7th and 8th defendants, respectively.
The defendants, Kamarawa, Hashimu aka Doctor, Abdullahi, Chinedu, Chukwuma, Bello Turji (at large); Aminu Muhammad (at large) and Sani Lawal (at large), in count one of the charges, were said to have some time between 2018 and 2022 in Sokoto State, conspired among themselves to commit a terror act.
They were alleged to have provided material services to terrorist groups led by Turji, Kachalla Halilu, Danbokolo, Lawali, Atarwatse, Buderi and others, by procuring and supplying illicit drugs, including penta injections and cannabis plants (aka Indian hemp); food items; military and police uniforms, camouflage.
They were also alleged to have supplied boots, caps and building materials, including bags of cement, cover zinc, bags of nails, M.M. iron rod, etc., to terrorist camps in the forests located in Zamfara, Sokoto and Kaduna states.
The offence is said to be contrary to Section 17 of the Terrorism (Prevention) (Amendment) Act 2013 and punishable under the same section of the Act.
Also, Kamarawa, Muhammad (at large) and Lawal (at large), were said to have, sometime in 2021 in Sokoto State, allegedly aided and abetted the commission of acts of terrorism by acquiring a military gun truck from Libya and supplying the same to a terrorist, Kachalla Halilu, at a cost of approximately N28.5m.
They were alleged to have paid for the gun truck partly in cash and partly via electronic transfer.
The Federal Governmentnt accused them of knowing the reason for which the vehicle would be used by Kachalla Halilu, a known terrorist, which is to to commit acts of terrorism and held that the defendants “thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18 (a) of the Terrorism (Prevention) (Amendment) Act 2013 and punishable under the same section of the Act”.
Meanwhile, after the defendants took their plea, the lawyer to the fifth defendant (Chukwuma), A.I. Mohammed, prayed to the court for a short adjournment to enable them to file a bail application for their client, which the court responded that the application would be heard as soon as it is ready.
Justice Nwite afterwards adjourned the matter until February 10 for trial.
Of the eight defendants mentioned in the charge, three of them, including Bello Turji, were said to be at large and four were present in court for arraignment.
The court, however, inquired why the third defendant, Bashir Abdullahi, was absent in court and initially not stated to be at large in the charge.
The AGF’s counsel, David Kaswe, responded that the defendant was also at large and apologised to the court for the mistake of omitting that.
He afterwards, in an oral application, sought the leave of the court to fix the mistake and state “at large” for Abdullahi which was not opposed to by the defence lawyers.
The court accordingly granted the request.
