An investigator with the Department of State Services (DSS) has told a Federal High Court in Abuja that the complaints lodged by rescued victims of the 2022 Abuja-Kaduna bound train attack against alleged terrorist negotiator, Tukur Mamu, supported investigations by the agency.
The DSS official spoke on Tuesday while being cross-examined by Mamu’s lawyer, Johnson Usman (SAN), at the resumed hearing in the terrorism case brought against the alleged terrorist negotiator.
The revelation by the witness, who is the sixth prosecution witness (PW6), was in response to a question by Usman, who had asked the witness to ‘confirm to the court if any of the rescued victims, including the wife of the Commandant, Jaji, made any complaint against the defendant to the DSS.’
Responding, the witness, who wore a mask and testified behind a screen, said some of the victims filed complaints, and one of them was in writing.
At that point, prosecuting lawyer, David Kaswe of the Federal Ministry of Justice, interjected and complained about the mode of questioning being adopted by the defence lawyer.
Kaswe said that, despite an earlier order of the court that the identity of actors in the case, including victims and witnesses, should be protected, Usman was framing his questions in a manner capable of exposing the identity of the categories of people in respect of which the court’s order was made.
In response, Usman argued that none of the names he called was a witness before the court.
He added that although the court actually made an order for trial in camera and for the protection of the identity of the witnesses, the trial should not be conducted in a manner that prejudices the defendant.
When he resumed his testimony, the witness said investigators interviewed six victims of the attack in the course of the investigation.
On whether the six victims were interviewed in the presence of the defendant, the witness said no.
The witness said the audio exhibit tendered by the prosecution was an extract of the transcribed WhatsApp conversation between Mamu and the terrorists.
On whether his team interviewed a former Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor (retd.); Major General Idris Garba, and Hannafi of the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI), the witness said no.
The witness confirmed that Sheikh Gumi, Gen Abdulkadir, and General Jalingo were also interviewed, but not in the presence of the defendant.
He said members of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) committee were not brought to the DSS facility and interviewed in the presence of the defendant.
The witness gave Exhibit R8 (a statement made by the defendant) and read a portion where Mamu said he is a publisher of a newspaper and a magazine
In another portion, the defendant also said he is a publisher, a media consultant, and a journalist, from which he earns his income.
The witness said investigators, including him, investigated the defendant’s claims of being a publisher, media consultant, and journalist.
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PW6 said they also investigated the defendant’s claim that he was acting with the permission of the authority.
He confirmed that the defendant’s request that every actor in the negotiation be brought together to be interviewed in his presence was not granted.
The witness said he was not part of the search party and did not know if the closed-circuit television (CCTV) in the defendant’s office was among the other valuables recovered from him.
PW6 said he was not among those who reviewed or watched the CCTV.
At the conclusion of the cross-examination, Kaswe told the court that the prosecution would be closing its case with the sixth prosecution witness.
Usman said his client was willing to reveal all that transpired and would elect to enter his defence straight away rather than first making a no-case submission.
He said, “We want to put everything on the table. Let the whole world see. Let God also see.”
Justice Mohammed Umar then adjourned till April 23 for the defendant to open his defence.
