Court Grants DSS Request for Accelerated Trial of UN Building Bombing Suspects
The Federal High Court in Abuja has approved an application by the Department of State Services (DSS) for an accelerated hearing in the case involving Khalid Al-Barnawi, alleged mastermind of the August 26, 2011 bombing of the United Nations building in Abuja, and four others.
Through its counsel, Alex Iziyon, the DSS argued that it was ready to present its case promptly, including video evidence showing that the defendants’ confessional statements were given voluntarily, contrary to claims of coercion. The application was not opposed by defence lawyers.
Justice Emeka Nwite granted the request and adjourned proceedings to October 23 and 24 for continuation of the trial-within-trial.
Al-Barnawi is facing terrorism charges alongside Mohammed Bashir Saleh, Umar Mohammed Bello (a.k.a. Datti), Mohammed Salisu, and Yakubu Nuhu (a.k.a. Bello Maishayi). They are accused of being members of the Ansaru terrorist group, Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis Sudan, and of conspiring to carry out terrorist acts across Sokoto, Kebbi, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, and other northern states between 2011 and 2013.
Investigators allege that Al-Barnawi’s group was behind several violent operations, including a 2012 attack on a maximum-security prison in Abuja, during which dozens of inmates escaped.
The DSS arrested Al-Barnawi in April 2016 in Lokoja, Kogi State, five years after the UN bombing that killed over 20 people and injured more than 70. His prosecution, however, has been repeatedly delayed by legal and administrative setbacks.
The United States had previously declared Al-Barnawi a “specially designated global terrorist,” placing a $5 million bounty on his head. Ansaru, the group with which he is affiliated, is known for its links to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and is accused of killing several Western nationals.
