The Department of State Services (DSS) on Wednesday urged the Federal High Court in Abuja to accept statements allegedly made by three men accused of spying on American and Israeli interests in Nigeria on behalf of persons linked to Iran.
The suspects — Haruna Ali Abbas, Ibrahim Hussaini Musa, and Adam Suleiman — were arrested in 2013 in Kano and Lagos and have since faced terrorism-related charges.
During proceedings, the defendants objected to their confessional statements being tendered as evidence, insisting that they were not made voluntarily. The objection compelled the court to conduct a separate “trial-within-trial” to determine whether the statements were admissible.
At the resumed hearing on Wednesday, the courtroom was sparsely attended.
According to the charge sheet, Abbas was arrested on 16 March 2013 at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport while returning from Lebanon. He allegedly recruited young Nigerians, including Musa and Suleiman, for terrorism training in Iran.
Prosecutors further accused Abbas of preparing for an act of terrorism by compiling a list of American and Israeli concerns in Lagos, including the United States Consular office. He allegedly mapped their locations and sent them in coded emails to one Abu Ali in Iran.
Prosecution counsel Bello Abu, while adopting his final written address, guided the court through the evidence provided, arguing that the defendants gave their statements voluntarily.
Counsel to the DSS dismissed the defendants’ claims of coercion, describing them as an afterthought. He urged the court to admit the statements in evidence and allow the substantive trial to proceed.
“This matter has commenced earnestly due to the new DSS leadership, which is taking steps to ensure that pending cases move swiftly,” Abu said. “That is why we are in court during vacation, to deal with the matter without delay. Today, we adopted written addresses in the trial-within-trial.”
Justice Emeka Nwite adjourned his ruling on the admissibility of the statements to a date that will be communicated to the parties.