The alleged mastermind of the April 14, 2014 Nyanya Motor Park bomb blast in Abuja, which claimed 75 lives, Aminu Sadiq Ogwuche has protested the 11 years delay of trial in the terrorism charges brought against him by the federal government.
Ogwuche who claimed that the charges had suffered 97 adjournments on flimsy excuses from the prosecution appealed to the Federal High Court in Abuja to strike out the 7-count charges for lack of diligent prosecution.
The defendant who is standing trial along with four others informed the Court that the federal government had long abandoned his trial and also abandoned him in the custody of the Department of the State Service DSS.
The anger of the alleged terrorist through his counsel Abdusalam Abas was voiced out before Justice Peter Lifu when the prosecution in a letter sought for adjournment of the trial on the ground of attending to other things.
Ogwuche drew the attention of the Judge to his ruling of July 1, 2024 wherein the court threatened to throw away the charges should the prosecution fail to appear in court.
He was joined in the protest by other defendants through their respective lawyers who pleaded with Justice Lifu to invoke section 351 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) to strike out the charge.
In his ruling, Justice Lifu said he had carefully and painstakingly perused the letter seeking adjournment and saw no reasonable, cogent and compelling reason for it.
Justice Lifu, who is currently handling the trial, expressed displeasure over the lack of interest by the Federal Ministry of Justice, Abuja to proceed with trial as required by law and threatened to terminate the charge.
The Judge held that the charge had been pending in court since December 12, 2014 adding “To say the least, against all known logic, reason and common sense, it looks absurd in light of our much cherished principles of presumption of innocence, fundamental liberty and human rights jurisprudence”.
Justice Lifu also held that the reason for the long incarceration without trial for 11 years has not been reasonably explained to the court.
He said he would have struck out the charge in line with the warning issued to the prosecution in July 2024 but for the nature of the charge.
“Considering the nature of the charges, I bend backward to accommodate the prosecution for the very last time to enable him to present his witnesses, else, the court shall do the needful”
Justice Lifu therefore gave the federal government till June 18 and 19 2025 to call its witnesses for trial or have the charge struck out on the adjourned date.
Based on the complaints of lawyers, the Judge ordered the Director General of the DSS to allow counsel, parents, blood relation and desirable friends to access the defendants to enable them prepare for defense.
It will be recalled that two other Judges, Adeniyi Ademola and Ahmed Ramat Mohammed had unsuccessfully handled the trial due to lack of proper trial of the defendant in the charges.
On November 24, 2014 Justice Adeniyi Ademola struck out an earlier 2-count charge brought against Ogwuche for lack of diligent prosecution by the Inspector General of Police.
Ogwuche who was 29 years at the time of the alleged terrorism offence was in the 7-count charge, accused of conspiracy, engaging in an act of terrorism, belonging to Boko Haram, an outlawed group and refusal to disclose to security agencies, information that would have prevented an act of terrorism.
Others standing trial along with him are Akhmad Rufai Abubakar (aka Abu Ibrahim/Maitirare), Mohammed Sani Ishaq, Ya’u Saidu (aka Kofar Rama), Anas Isah, Adamu Yusuf and Nasiru Abubakar.
They were said to have committed the alleged offences contrary to and punishable under sections 1(2)(a) &(b), 5(b),8(b) 16, 17 of the Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Act 2013.
Ogwuche was, in count six, accused of rendering support to a terrorist group by giving money at different times and places in Abuja to the widows of members of the terrorist organization known as Boko Haram.
He and Abubakar (aka Dr Tsiga) were, in count seven, accused of carrying out “surveillance and identified Silverbird Galleria and other locations as potential targets of terrorist attack.”
Ogwuche, a native of Benue State had been repatriated on July 15, 2014 from Sudan to face charges in Nigeria in respect of the April 14, 2014 in which over 75 persons were confirmed killed and 124 others injured in the Abuja suburb
