FG arraigns Ogwuche, others over Nyanya bomb blasts
THERE were fears on Friday that Boko Haram fighters could be using Chibok girls as human shields as the sect was reportedly preparing for the final battle with the military.
The Associated Press (AP) reported that Boko Haram terrorists were massing at their headquarters in Gwoza, Borno State, in preparation for a major showdown with multinational forces.
A top security source in Abuja told Saturday Tribune that while he would not confirm the AP’s report, there were fears in the security circle that Boko Haram was spoiling for a final battle with the security forces using the Chibok girls as shields.
“We know the location of the Chibok girls but, you know, there is a lot of interest on the safety of those girls. We also have intelligence that they are being held as possible shields by these terrorists, especially now that the die is cast. That is the delicate part of the operation but the forces are up to the task,” he told Saturday Tribune.
The AP’s report, however, differed slightly with this while quoting residents and an intelligence officer on the latest moves of the sect. It stated that a woman trapped in Gwoza since the area was seized in July told her daughter that Islamic extremists were urging civilians to leave town to avoid being killed in crossfire in an anticipated major battle.
Hajiya Adama said her mother said the fighters have also released young women being held against their will, including some made pregnant during their captivity.
She said her mother left last week and escaped to Yola, in neighbouring Adamawa State.
“She told me that Boko Haram terrorists asked them to leave suddenly, that they were preparing grounds for a major battle. She said while being helped by other women to leave through Madagali, they saw many Boko Haram terrorists in trucks and some on bikes moving toward Gwoza,” Adama told the AP.
An intelligence officer said security forces were moving slowly for fear of harming civilians, and especially since Boko Haram is surrounding Gwoza with land mines.
He confirmed that forces from Chad were in the area, while speaking on condition of anonymity, because he was not authorised to speak to reporters.
Boko Haram, in August, declared an Islamic caliphate across a swath of northeast Nigeria where it held sway. In recent weeks, Chadian and Nigerian troops have retaken a score of towns. But the militants continue to kill scores in suicide bombings and village attacks.
Retaking Gwoza would be a major coup for Nigeria and for the campaign of President Goodluck Jonathan for re-election at the critical March 28 ballots. Critics say the contest is too close to call between Jonathan and retired General Muhammadu Buhari, a former military dictator who has vowed to stamp out the six-year-old insurgency that has killed an estimated 12,000 people and left 1.6 million homeless.
FG arraigns Ogwuche, others over Nyanya bomb blasts
The Federal Government, on Friday, arraigned the alleged mastermind of the April 14, 2014 Nyanya bomb blast, Aminu Sadiq Ogwuche and five others before a federal high court in Abuja.
The suspects pleaded not guilty to the eight-count charge bordering on terrorism levelled against them by the State Security Services (SSS), when it was read and interpreted to them.
After the suspects took their pleas, the prosecution, Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), M. S. Diri, asked the court for a date to commence trial and for the accused to be remanded in the custody of the SSS.
He added that the prosecution was ready with its witnesses in the matter.
Ogwuche’s counsel, Ahmed Raji (SAN), in his submission, urged the court to order that the accused be remanded at Kuje prison since the prosecution had concluded investigation into the offences, with which the accused were charged.
Counsel for other accused in the suit adopted the submission of the SAN on the remand of the accused at the Kuje prison, a request the judge, Justice Ahmed Ramat Mohammed, turned down.
The judge ordered that the accused be remanded in the custody of the SSS until the next adjourned date.
Ogwuche was charged along with seven other suspects for allegedly bombing a popular motor park in Nyanya, a suburb of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in April last year, killing over 75 persons and leaving several others injured.
The offences for which the accused were charged border on terrorism and are punishable under the Terrorism Prevention and Amendment Act 2013.
Ogwuche had earlier asked the court to compel the SSS to pay him N100 million as compensation for his unlawful arrest and detention without trial.
He, in an application brought pursuant to Order 2, Rule (1),(2),(3) of the Fundamental Enforcement Procedure Rule and Sections 34,35,36,37 and 42 of the 1999 Constitution, is seeking the enforcement of his fundamental human right.
Arguing his application, his counsel, Raji, noted that it was based on the request of the Federal Government that the INTERPOL placed a red alert on the applicant, contrary to the impression that it was the INTERPOL that, on its own, placed the red alert.
Raji further drew the attention of the court to the fact that the charge on which Ogwuche was arrested and detained had been struck out by the court for lack of diligent prosecution, adding that the charge was the foundation of the extradition order which led to the arrest of the applicant.
He further noted that it was assumed that the state had concluded all its investigations before requesting for the extradition order, contending that, further detention of the complainant in the SSS custody without arraignment was illegal and pre-judicial.
He said the ex parte order got by the SSS to detain the applicant for 90 days was a miscarriage of justice and contended that Section 27 of the Terrorism Prevention Act could not override the provisions of Section 35 of the constitution which preserves the right to liberty of every citizen.
Raji, however, urged the court to compel the SSS to release the complainant conditionally or unconditionally, admit him to administrative bail or arraign him within 48 hours of the judgment.
It will be recalled the court recently struck out the two-count criminal charge bordering on terrorism filed by the police against Ogwuche for lack of diligent prosecution, having been absent in court for two consecutive times.
The court had ordered that the accused be granted access to three lawyers and two of his family members - his wife and brother - adding that the SSS should ensure that adequate medical treatment was administered on the accused in the event of any illness while still in its custody.
Ogwuche had allegedly escaped to Sudan after masterminding the said bomb blast.
No escape for Boko haram this time , they have come to a dead end
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