Again, FG fails to arraign alleged Nyanya blast mastermind, Ogwuche

Posted by: Eric Ikhilae in News 12 hours ago

For the third time, the Federal Government yesterday failed to arraign 29 year-old Aminu Sadiq Ogwuche accused of being the mastermind of the April 14, 2014 bombing in Nyanya, Abuja.

It was the absence of the court’s interpreter that prevented his arraignment yesterday with six others named in a fresh seven-count charge now before Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court, Abuja.

On November 24 last year, another judge of the same court, Justice Adeniyi Ademola, was forced to strike out an earlier charge brought against Ogwuche for lack of diligent prosecution.

The Department of State Services (DSS) and Nigeria Police Force had fought each other over which agency should handle the case. On a few occasions, lawyers from both agencies openly disagreed in court on the issue.

When the seven accused persons were again taken to court on February 6 on the fresh charge, they could not be arraigned because five of them were yet to procure the services of lawyers.

Those brought to court included Ogwuche, Akhmad Rufai Abubakar (aka Abu Ibrahim/Maitirare), Mohammed Sani Ishaq, Ya’u Saidu (aka Kofar Rama), Anas Isah, Adamu Yusuf and Nasiru Abubakar.

Yesterday  while  all the accused persons were represented by lawyers, Justice Mohammed informed parties that the court’s interpreter, Murtala Abdullahi, had travelled to attend to his ailing wife who was critically ill.

Stressing why the interpreter’s presence was necessary, the judge said the right of the accused persons to fair hearing would be breached, should the court proceed when they do not understand the court’s official language of communication.

With the agreement of parties, the judge granted accelerated hearing in the case.

To prevent delay, lawyer to Ogwuche, Ahmed Raji (SAN), equally withdrew the bail application he had filed for his client.

The judge adjourned to March 6.

The accused persons are, in the new 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.

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.

Ogwuche and Abubakar (aka Dr Tsiga) were, in count seven, accused carrying out “surveillance and identified Silverbird Galleria and other locations as potential targets of terrorist attack.”

The accused persons were said to have committed offences contrary to and punishable under sections 1(2)(a) &(b), 5(b),8(b) 16, 17 of the Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Act 2013.