Ten suspected terrorists accused of planning to establish a Boko Haram/ISWAP cell in Osun State have been ordered detained by the Federal High Court in Abuja. Justice Emeka Nwite granted the DSS’s request to detain the suspects for 60 days to allow for further investigation.
In his ruling, Justice Nwite found the ex-parte motion to be justified and granted the application
The matter was subsequently adjourned to March 3 for mention.
According to an affidavit by Yamuje Benye, a personnel in the Legal Service Department at the agency’s headquarters, the suspects were arrested in Ilesa East Local Government Area of Osun State.
He stated that the suspected terrorists were apprehended on December 16, 2024, based on reasonable suspicion of their involvement in terrorist activities.
The DSS reported that preliminary investigations identified the respondents as members of the Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorist group. They were apprehended while receiving training on the construction and detonation of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).
The agency asserted that the suspects were affiliated with the terrorist group formerly led by the late Abubakar Shekau. They claimed the suspects had fled Sambisa Forest to Osun State as a result of the sustained military pressure.
It said the respondents are aiding the applicant to unravel other members of the terrorist group who are still at large.
The DSS warned that releasing the respondents at this critical stage of the investigation would seriously hamper their efforts to apprehend other members of the terrorist group. They highlighted the imminent danger posed by the respondents’ activities to both national security and the very foundation of the Nigerian nation.
In a related development, Justice Nwite also granted a 60-day detention order for Ayomide Akintunde and Nurudeen Adesiyan, allowing the DSS to detain them pending the conclusion of the investigation. This order was granted following an ex-parte motion moved by Y. I. Umar, who also represented the DSS.
The court subsequently adjourned the matter until March 3 for mention. In an affidavit deposed to by Mercy Ebo, a representative of the DSS, it was averred that the suspects were arrested on December 19, 2024, by the Service Tactical Team at Ajape Lane 3, Modakeke, Ife East Local Government Area of Osun State.
Following intelligence reports received from a foreign intelligence service that implicated the suspects in connections with Moroccan terrorist activities, the agency subsequently transferred them to its headquarters.
“That the Moroccan terrorist is being investigated for making jihadist publications and for acquisition of firearms with the intent of conducting terrorist attacks against identified targets in Nigeria,” it said.
According to DSS, the release of the respondents at this time would jeopardise the investigation, as investigation has assumed a wider dimension.
The DSS contended that a thorough investigation of the suspects was imperative to ascertain their potential threat to the national security of Nigeria and global security. They further stated that the suspects were cooperating with the investigation by providing vital information that would facilitate the apprehension of other members of the terrorist gang, thereby justifying the granting of the application.
