The Department of State Services (DSS) has asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to accept statements allegedly made by three men accused of spying on American and Israeli interests in Nigeria for people linked to Iran.
The suspects – Haruna Ali Abbas, Ibrahim Hussaini Musa, and Adam Suleiman – were arrested in 2013 in Kano and Lagos and have been facing terrorism-related charges since then.
During the trial, the three men objected to their confessional statements being used in evidence, claiming they did not make them voluntarily.
This forced the court to hold a separate “trial-within-trial” to determine whether the statements were admissible.
At Wednesday’s hearing, lawyers for both sides adopted their final written arguments on the issue. Justice Emeka Nwite adjourned his ruling to a later date that will be communicated to the parties.
The prosecution lawyer, Bello Abu, urged the judge to accept the statements as evidence. He told the court:
“The prosecution has provided enough evidence to show that the defendants made their statements voluntarily.”
He dismissed the suspects’ claim that they were forced to speak, describing it as “an afterthought.”
Abu then prayed the court to admit the statements and move on with the main trial.
However, defence lawyers – Aliyu Yawuri, Bala Dakun and Bello Ibrahim – argued that the statements were not voluntary and asked the court to reject them.
According to the charge sheet, Abbas was arrested at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport on March 16, 2013, while returning from Lebanon.
He is accused of recruiting young Nigerians, including Musa and Suleiman, for terrorism training in Iran. He is also said to have attended terrorist meetings and offered support for terrorism by agreeing to send people for training abroad.
Prosecutors allege Abbas prepared for a terrorist act by compiling a list of American and Israeli targets in Lagos, including the US Consulate, and sending them to one Abu Ali in Iran using coded emails.
Musa and Suleiman are accused of conspiring to obtain Nigerian passports and Iranian visas so they could travel for training. They are also alleged to have conducted surveillance on US and Israeli embassies in Abuja, Kano, and Lagos “as preparation for a terrorist attack.”
