Tension Rises: Court Delays Verdict On Confessional Statements Of Alleged Iranian Agents

The Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned its ruling on the admissibility of confessional statements allegedly made by three Nigerians accused of spying for Iran.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The defendants — Haruna Ali Abbas, Ibrahim Hussaini Musa, and Adam Suleiman — are facing terrorism charges brought by the Federal Government through the Department of State Services (DSS).

According to the prosecution, the men were arrested in Kano and Lagos in 2013 for allegedly collaborating with Iranian contacts to gather intelligence on American and Israeli interests in Nigeria.

In the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/129/2014, the DSS alleged that Abbas recruited young Nigerians, including Musa and Suleiman, for terrorist training in Iran. He was also accused of transmitting intelligence on US and Israeli targets in Lagos to his Iranian contact using encrypted communication.

Musa and Suleiman were further accused of conspiring to obtain Nigerian passports and Iranian visas for terrorist training, while conducting surveillance on US and Israeli embassies in Abuja, Kano, and Lagos in preparation for possible attacks.

The case took a new dimension when the defendants challenged the admissibility of their extra-judicial statements, insisting that the confessions were extracted under duress. Their objection prompted the court to order a trial-within-trial to determine the voluntariness of the statements.

At the resumed proceedings on Wednesday, prosecution counsel, Mr. Bello Abu, described the objection as an afterthought, arguing that the defendants’ statements were freely made and should be admitted into evidence.

However, defence lawyers Aliyu Yawuri, Bala Dakun, and Bello Ibrahim maintained that the alleged confessions were obtained through coercion, rendering them inadmissible under Nigerian law.

After hearing both sides, Justice Emeka Nwite announced that a date for ruling on the admissibility of the statements would be communicated to the parties.

The defendants, who pleaded not guilty at their arraignment, remain in DSS custody.