The Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned ruling on the admissibility of confessional statements allegedly made by three Nigerians accused of spying for Iran.
Naijaonpoint reports that the defendants, Haruna Ali Abbas, Ibrahim Hussaini Musa, and Adam Suleiman, are facing terrorism charges filed by the Federal Government through the Department of State Services (DSS).
According to the prosecution, the defendants were arrested in Kano and Lagos in 2013 for allegedly working with Iranian contacts to spy on American and Israeli interests in Nigeria.
The DSS, in a charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/129/2014, 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, on their part, were alleged to have conspired to obtain Nigerian passports and Iranian visas for terrorist training, as well as conducting surveillance on US and Israeli embassies in Abuja, Kano, and Lagos in preparation for possible attacks.
The case took a new turn after the defendants challenged the admissibility of extra-judicial statements they purportedly made while in custody, insisting that the confessions were obtained under duress.
Their objection prompted the court to order a trial within a trial to determine whether the statements were made voluntarily.
At the resumed proceedings on Wednesday, prosecution counsel, Mr. Bello Abu, dismissed the defendants’ objection as an afterthought.
He argued that the statements were freely made and urged the court to admit them in evidence so that the substantive trial could continue.
However, defence lawyers Aliyu Yawuri, Bala Dakun, and Bello Ibrahim maintained that the statements were inadmissible in law, alleging that their clients were coerced into incriminating themselves.
After listening to both sides, the trial Judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, stated that a date for ruling on the admissibility of the statements would be communicated to all parties.
At their arraignment, the defendants pleaded not guilty to all the charges and have since been remanded in DSS custody.
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