'Suleja bomb suspects have case to answer'
SECURITY operatives in Kano State have arrested seven suspects who were involved in the attack on the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, on January 19, after the first suspect that was arrested provided useful information that led to the arrest of six more suspects.
In a press briefing in his office Monday, the Commissioner of Police, Kano State Command, Ibrahim K. Idris, disclosed that immediately after the attack on the emir, police received a distress call and operatives were immediately mobilised to the area and cordoned the place where the event took place.
According to him, the first suspect, "Adamu Sani, who hails from Tofa council of Kano State, was intercepted and arrested at a nipping point along Sabuwar Gandu by Mobile Policemen. He voluntarily confessed to have participated in the attack on the emir's convoy and so many other co-ordinated attacks in the state."
The commissioner revealed that the suspect confessed that he was involved in the attack and killing of policemen at Yan Awaki Quarters, Tishama, Kwanar Freedom, and burning of primary schools at Gayawa and Sharada by Yahaya Gusau, among others.
"He also mentioned the members of his sect, who participated in and facilitated the attack, other terrorist activities and armed robbery in Kano State," the commissioner said.
The suspect, Sani, confessed that he was "recruited into the terror group by Mallam Salisu Mohammed of Unguwa Uku Quarters and the Chief Imam of Filin Cashew Mosque, Mallam Sharif Mohammed Ghali." He further confessed that these people usually ordered them to go for jihad and anybody who decides to pull out from the way of jihad would be killed.
According to the suspect, they hold meeting at Malam Salisu Mosque after Isha'i prayers before subsequent attack on any target chosen by Salisu and Ghali. In another revealing confession, Sani maintained that he was with Mubarak Sani, a student of Kano State University of Science and Technology, Wudil, on his motorcycle for the attack on the Emir, and that "the firearms used for the operation were all in possession of Malam Salisu Mohammed."
He regretted that immediately after the attack on the emir, he and Mubarak were escaping from the scene to any safe place before the police intercepted them, and "Mubarak escaped with the firearms before I was later arrested by detectives, who trailed me to Malam Salisu's house at Unguwa Uku Quarters."
According to the Kano Police Commissioner, "the suicide bomber at the scene of the attack on the emir made a dying declaration. He identified himself as Idris Talba, an indigene of Borno State, residing at Shagari Quarters."
Eight more persons were declared wanted by the police authorities in the state: the Imam of Filin Cashew Mosque and the spiritual leader guiding their actions, Malam Sharif Mohammed Ghali, Jigawa State-born Babangida Baba Salihu, who was an official of National Hajj Commission from Jigawa State in 2010, as well as a trader in Sabon Gari Market and co-ordinator of almost all the attacks in Kano, and Ibrahim of Hadejia local council of Jigawa State.
Others declared wanted by the police were Adamu from Jigawa State, Alhaji Ali Na'ibawa, an Islamic scholar living at Na'ibawa quarters, Alhaji Ali Unguwa Uku, Habibu Gwammaja, an Islamic scholar living in Gwammaja Quarters, and Salmanu from Jigawa State, who was the sect's armourer.
Meanwhile, the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, yesterday declared that six suspected Boko Haram members accused of carrying out multiple bombings in parts of Abuja and Suleja have a case to answer. The six suspects, Shuaibu Abubakar, Salisu Ahmed, Umar Babagana-Umar, Mohammed Ali, Musa Adam and Umar Ibrahim, who are being tried over a five-count charge, had filed a no-case application on the claim that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case against them.
Delivering her verdict on the application, Justice Bilikisu Aliyu dismissed the no-case application and held that the prosecution has established a prima facie case against the suspects. Justice Aliyu ruled: "After going through all the arguments, it must be noted at this point that the court is to look at all the evidence presented to decide if they are enough to establish a prima facie case against the accuse persons in order to warrant them to enter a defence. "
"The evidence of the prosecution has disclosed a prima facie case against the accuse persons – the accused persons should enter their defence to give explanations if they so wish. The no-case submission has been dismissed."
The judge also ordered the prison authorities to allow the defence counsel to interact with the accused persons. While adopting their written addresses in an application for no-case submission, counsel to the accused persons, Nuraini Suleiman and Kevin Emeka Okoro, had submitted that the "prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case against the accused persons."
Suleiman submitted that no evidence was placed before the court to link the accused persons to the alleged offences. He maintained that the evidence presented by the prosecution against the accused persons was hearsay, adding: "This is inadmissible in law."
However, the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Thompson Olatigbe, argued that the Federal Government had succeeded in establishing a prima facie case against the accused persons, adding that none of the evidences tendered by the prosecution was discredited during cross-examination.
He insisted that all the evidences placed before the court were reliable enough for a safe conviction of the accused persons. He, therefore, urged the court to rule in favour of the prosecution and call on the accused persons to enter their defense.
The Guardian