A federal high court in Abuja has granted an application by
the Department of State Services (DSS) to expedite proceedings in the trial of
Khalid Al-Barnawi, the alleged mastermind of the 2011 bombing of the United
Nations (UN) building in the federal capital territory (FCT).
Al-Barnawi, a suspected top commander of Ansaru, and four
others are standing trial on terrorism-related charges.
At the resumed sitting on Friday, Alex Iziyon, counsel to
the DSS, moved the application for accelerated hearing, noting that the service
is ready to ensure speedy determination of the case.
The defendants’ counsel did not oppose the request.
Emeka Nwite, the presiding judge, granted the application
and ruled that video recordings tendered by the DSS would be played in the
presence of the court registrar while parties would take notes, after which
they would return to the court on the next adjourned date.
According to the judge, the move is to establish that
confessional statements made by the suspects were given voluntarily.
He adjourned the matter to October 23 and 24 for continuation
of the trial-within-a-trial.
Al-Barnawi was arrested in Lokoja, Kogi state, in April
2016—five years after the attack on the UN building that killed more than 20
people and injured over 70.
His trial has suffered repeated delays due to legal and
administrative hitches.
The co-defendants are Mohammed Bashir Saleh, Umar Mohammed
Bello, also known as Datti, Mohammed Salisu, and Yakubu Nuhu, also known as
Bello Maishayi.
Prosecutors alleged that between 2011 and 2013, the
defendants conspired to carry out acts of terrorism in Sokoto, Kebbi, Bauchi,
Borno, Gombe and other northern states.
The US had in 2012 designated Al-Barnawi a global terrorist
and placed a $5 million bounty on him.
Ansaru, which is linked to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb,
has claimed responsibility for several deadly attacks, including the 2012 raid
on a maximum-security prison in Kuje, Abuja.
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