By TAIYE AGBAJE

A Department of State Services (DSS)’ operative, on Monday, told the Federal High Court in Abuja that two Ansaru terror group commanders confessed to receiving weapons’ training and handling in Libya.

The officer, identified as ABC (name withheld for security reasons), told Justice Emeka Nwite while being led in evidence by the prosecution lawyer, David Kaswe, shortly after the service opened its case against the defendants.

He also told the court that the suspects confessed that foreign instructors in Libya taught them how to manufacture and use improved explosive devices (IEDs).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the two Ansaru Commanders; Mahmud Usman and Abubakar Abba, are currently being prosecuted on allegations bordering on terrorism offences.

While Mahmud is the 1st defendant, Abba is listed as 2nd defendant.

The officer, who testified as 1st prosecution witness (PW-1), said the defendants confessed that instructors from Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria taught them all they knew about weapons and IEDs while they were camped in Libya.

The witness further told the court that Usman was arrested following prolonged intelligence gathering, which identified him as the leader of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis Sudan (Ansaru).

He added that Abba was also arrested by DSS operatives at Ugwan Musa Bypass in Kaduna North Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

According to the witness, the suspects admitted to being members of Ansaru, which he described as a breakaway faction of Boko Haram, allegedly involved in terrorism, kidnapping, banditry, armed robbery and illegal mining across the North-West, North-Central, South-West and in Edo and Delta.

The witness also testified that the defendants confessed to founding the Ansaru group in Jigawa State after holding several meetings in 2012.

He further told the court that the second defendant admitted to participating in an attack on a Nigerian Army formation in Wawa in 2020, which allegedly resulted in the death of several soldiers.

According to the witness, the defendants also confessed to kidnapping the in-law of late former President Muhammadu Buhari, Alhaji Musa Umar Uba, as well as an immigration officer and a customs officer.

The witness added that Abba confessed to having sworn allegiance to the Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), which allegedly supplied the group with arms and ammunition.

Attempts by counsel to the defendants, Bala Dakum, to block the admissibility of the defendants’ confessional statements, were opposed by the prosecution counsel.

He maintained that the defendants’ statements were obtained without coercion, in the presence of a lawyer from the Legal Aid Council, in compliance with the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.

In a ruling, Justice Nwite ordered a trial-within-trial to determine the admissibility of the defendants’ confessional statements.m

The judge then fixed April 13 for the commencement of the trial-within-trial. (NAN)

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