The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Mustapha Fawaz

  • Hezbolah: Lebanese gets life sentence

    …Two others freed

    The trial of three Lebanese accused of belonging to Hezbollah terrorist group ended on Friday with a Federal High Court in Abuja sentencing one of them to life imprisonment.

    Talal Ahmad Roda, who was arrested in the Kano house where the ammunition was found, got life imprisonment having been found guilty of conspiracy.

    Mustapha Fawaz, owner of Abuja based-Amigo Supermarket and Wonderland Amusement Park, both companies and the second accused person, Abdallah Thahini were freed.

    Justice Ademola Adeniyi, in a judgment held that the prosecution failed to provide concrete evidence linking them with terrorism.

    The Federal Government had on July 29 arraigned the three men and the companies on a 16-count charge of terrorism.

    While Roda was convicted on counts 8 and 9 relating to conspiracy, Fawaz, his company and Thahini was acquitted on all the counts.

    Justice Adeniyi held that the prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable doubts that the discharged persons are terrorists.

    The judge was of the opinion that since Hezbollah military group was not labeled a terrorist group under any Nigerian law, the court could not hold otherwise.

    He observed that some aspects of the investigation were not properly conducted.

    The judge also noted that the prosecution failed by the evidence brought before the court to establish a case of terrorism against the accused persons.

    He held that the prosecution was wrong by not producing before the court either of the ammunition recovered from No 3 Gaiya road, Kano or the photographer who took picture pictures of the ammunition.

     

     

  • Hezbollah: FG tenders videos of Lebanese confessions

    The FG closed its case on Wednesday in the trial of three Lebanese being held in connection with terrorism.

    The state, before closing its case on day three of the trial being conducted by Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court, Abuja, tendered video evidence where the Lebanese confessed to some of the charges against them.

    The Lebanese – Mustapha Fawaz (49), Abdallah Thahini (48) and Talal Ahmad Roda (51) – are charged with their companies – Amigo Supermarket and Wonderland Amusement Park Resort.

    They are also being held in connection with the last discovery of a large cache of arms and ammunition in a bunker in House 3 Gaya Road, Kano.

    The video evidence, contained in eight Digital Video Discs (DVD), admitted as exhibits by the court, contained recordings of all the interview sessions held with the accused persons by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS).

    Excerpts from the video evidence, tendered by a hooded witness, identified as DSS10, were shown in the open court.

    Although the accused persons, particularly Roda (who was arrested in the house) had denied knowledge of the existence of the bunker, clips from the video revealed where Roda admitted he was in charge of tendering the bunker.

    The video also showed Fawaz (one of the owners of Amigo Supermarket) admitted making video recordings of aerial view of some strategic structures in Abuja from atop Sheraton Hotels.

    Fawaz added that he led one Issah, a non-Nigerian to locate the Israeli embassy in Abuja.

    The three accused persons also admitted undergoing training in the use of firearms, while in their country, Lebanon.

     

     

  • Three Lebanese charged for terrorism, arms importation

    Three Lebanese charged for terrorism, arms importation

    The Federal Government on Wednesday formally charged the three Lebanese men arrested for allegedly belonging to an international terrorist group and importation of arms.

    Those arraigned are owners of Amigo Supermarket and Wonderland Amusement Park, Mustapha Fawaz, Abdalah Tahini and Talal Rouda.

    The office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) filed a six-count charge bordering on terrorism and importation of arms to render support for terrorism acts.

    In count one, Fawaz, Tahini, Rouda were charged with belonging to an international terrorism group, in contravention of Section 16 (1) of the Terrorism Act 2013 (as amended).

    In count two, the AGF, among others, accused the trio of receiving training as members of a terrorist group, contrary to Section 7(c) of the same Act.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that it is a criminal offence under the Act to belong to and fund terrorism.

    The penalty on conviction is a maximum of 10 years imprisonment on each count.

    The three men pleaded not guilty to the charges.

    After the arraignment, the Director of Public Prosecution, Mr. Simon Egede, told the court that he was served with copies of an application to quash the charges filed against the three men.

    “It is normal that after arraignment, we will get a date for the commencement of trial.

    “But just this morning, I was served with a motion by the accused counsel, challenging the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the suit.

    “We were also served with a motion filed by the accused, praying the court for an order to re-open the business premises of the first accused,” he said.

    In view of this, he urged the court to give the prosecution time within which to study the court processes and reply to the motion.

     

  • Arms importation: Lebanese suspects seek immediate release

    The three Lebanese men arrested in connection with the alleged importation of arms on Friday prayed a Federal High Court, Abuja, for immediate order of release from the State Security Service custody.

    The SSS is accusing the owners of Amigo Supermarket and Wonderland Amusement Park, Mustapha Fawaz, Abdalah Tahini and Talal Rouda of alleged importation of firearms and being members of the Hezbolla terror cell.

    In their application for the enforcement of their fundamental rights, the men asked the court to declare that their arrest and continued detention without trial by the SSS is “illegal,unlawful, unconstitutional, null, void and of no effect whatsoever.”

    Named as respondents are the Inspector -General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, and the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke (SAN).

    The men, through their counsel, Mr. Adbullahi Raji (SAN), also prayed the court for an Interim Order restraining the SSS, IGP and AGF from continued arrest, detention, harassment and intimidation of their families, relations and/or business interests.

    Raji, in his submissions, denied that his clients were members of the Hezbollah Military Wing, as they were being accused of by the SSS.

    He said that his clients did not import any weapons into the country.

    “What they have are mere hunting rifles. My clients denied that the weapons that the SSS showed in exhibit 1, was found in their house in Kano.

    “To put the records straight, none of my clients live on Tukur Road of Nasarawa area of Kano. They all live in Abuja,” the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the counsel on the issue.

    He urged the court to hold that the SSS had no legal instrument before they arrested and detained his clients since May 11.