For the second time, the Federal Government on Monday opened its case against Aminu Ogwuche and five others standing trial over the April 2014 bombings at the Nyanya Motor Park in Abuja, which left over 70 people dead and many others injured.
At the resumed hearing before Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, prosecution counsel David Kasue reminded the court of an earlier order granting protection for prosecution witnesses. He requested that only lawyers involved in the matter and accredited media representatives be allowed into the courtroom.
Justice Lifu, however, refused to exclude law students present in court, noting that they were there to observe and learn.
When NAIJAONPOINT , identified as PW1, took the stand, he wore a face mask and hood. Defense counsel, Nureni Jimoh (SAN), objected to the facial covering, but conceded after NAIJAONPOINT insisted he felt unsafe without it.
Led in evidence, the prosecution witness, who identified himself as a 23-year veteran of the Department of State Services (DSS), recounted how the six defendants were tracked and arrested. He detailed that Ogwuche, the first defendant, was arrested in Sudan and extradited to Nigeria.
According to NAIJAONPOINT , the DSS became aware of Ogwuche’s alleged involvement through information provided by the third defendant, Mohammed Ishaq, who described him as a supporter of the Boko Haram sect and a financial sponsor.
“He was already a person of interest to the DSS,” NAIJAONPOINT said, adding that Ogwuche had earlier been deported from the United Kingdom and placed in custody.
Jimoh raised an objection, arguing that any mention of deportation must be supported by documentary evidence, not oral testimony. The prosecution disagreed, relying on Section 7 of the Evidence Act and asserting that the deportation fact was both relevant and admissible.
Justice Lifu reserved ruling on the admissibility of the deportation evidence until the final judgment.
NAIJAONPOINT continued, stating that Ogwuche was identified by the third defendant from a set of images in the DSS database. “He said Aminu was not Hausa, but from the Middle Belt and that he often visited them at a Mosque in Utako,” he said.
The court also heard that it was Ishaq and a still-at-large associate, Ahmed Rufai Abubakar (alias Dr Tsiga), who allegedly drove the car loaded with explosives to El Rufai Park the night before the bombing.
Further, NAIJAONPOINT stated that Ogwuche confessed to joining the Boko Haram sect under Dr Tsiga’s leadership in Utako, adding that he believed the group was “fighting a just cause for God.”
However, when the prosecution sought to tender the defendants’ written statements already in the court’s custody, the documents were not immediately available. Justice Lifu blamed the prosecution for failing to notify the court registrar in advance to retrieve the evidence.
The judge then adjourned the matter to July 24 for continuation of trial.
Ogwuche and the five co-defendants Mohammed Ishaq, Ya’u Saidu (alias Kofar Rama), Anas Isah, and Adamu Yusuf—are accused of detonating two bombs on April 14, 2014, at Nyanya Motor Park, resulting in mass casualties.
The case, initially before Justice Ahmed Mohammed, was reassigned to Justice Lifu after the former’s elevation to the Court of Appeal. Proceedings were restarted, but repeated absences by the prosecution led to warnings from the bench. Justice Lifu eventually issued an ultimatum that the matter would be struck out if the prosecution failed to proceed.