The State Security Service has told a Federal High Court, Abuja that a lecturer at the Kogi State University, Muhammed Yunus, who is being prosecuted for terrorism charges, had confessed that he and his co-accused were planning jihad in Igala land of Kogi State.
At the opening of the prosecution’s case on Monday, the first prosecution witness, S.E Sariki, said Yunus and the other two accused persons had held series of meeting during which they shared responsibilities of the jihad cause among themselves.
Earlier, the prosecuting counsel, Mrs. N.B Jones-Nebo, while presenting the prosecution’s opening statement dated March 13, 2014, told Justice Gabriel Kolawole that Yunus had “a grand plan of promoting of jihad in Igala land of Kogi State.”
The two other accused persons are Salami Abdullahi (aka Asta) and Musa Umar.
The accused persons are facing terrorism charges including being in possession of two AK 47 rifles, and
financing terrorism.
financing terrorism.
They were also said to have allegedly attended a meeting convened by the Boko Haram in Ayungba, Kogi State and recruited people for training as members of the sect.
Sariki, an Investigative Officer at the Counter-Terrorism Department of the SSS, testified on Monday while the witness box was covered by curtail which was open to only the judge and lawyers.
The witness, who was being led in evidence by Jones-Nebo, said the accused persons made the confessions during separate interviews with them in November 2013.
He added that the accused persons also made the confessions in their separate statements on November 5, 6 and 8, November, 2013.
The witness said, “He told me he is a lecturer in the Kogi State University, Ayungba in the Department of Islamic and Arabic Studies. He said he has concluded his PhD.
“He told me that he is an Islamic scholar that goes about teaching in mosques and schools.
“He told me that he knows the second and the third accused persons. He told me that they had a meeting with one other person (who they tagged SSS AB for security reasons) and that it was at the filling station of the second accused person at Ayungba in Kogi State they shared responsibilities on how to promote jihad in Igala land.
“The first accused person being an Islamic scholar was the one that would give dierection to the group in the planning of jihad in Igala land.
“The second accused person was the one to provide the finances if need be. The third accused person, who is Musa Umar is the one that would coordinate the operation because he has knowledge of how to use an AK 47 rifle. The fourth person, who is not here was the one that would act as a courier for this group.”
The witness said at the subsequent meetings of the group, Abdullahi, who was the financier of the group provided the two AK 47 rifles meant for the jihad.
Sariki was at the verge of beginning to reveal the findings of his investigative team, when the defence lawyers raised an objection.
The trio of the defence lawyers, Messrs Hassan Liman (SAN), James Ocholi (SAN) and Abdul Mohammed, said the evidence given by the witness should expunged from the record of the court because they were the same as the content of the statements credited to their clients.
They claimed such testimony was in violation of sections 125 and 128 of the Evidence Act.
The prosecution, on its part, asked the court to dismiss the objection section 5 of the Evidence Act.
Justice Kolawole adjourned till June 24 for ruling.
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