A Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned till October 16 for ruling on a bail application filed by detained alleged terrorists negotiator, Tukur Mohammed Mamu.
Justice Mohammed Umar chose the date on Tuesday after taking arguments from lawyers to both the prosecution and defence.
Defence lawyer, Johnson Usman (SAN), while arguing the bail application, urged the court not to countenance the fact that the former judge handling the case (Justice Inyang Ekwo) rejected Mamu’s earlier applications for ba.
Usman argued that since the case was starting afresh before Justice Umar, it should be taken to imply that past decisions could not longer apply.
He prayed the court to allow his client on bail on the most liberal terms.
Prosecuting lawyer, David Kaswe (of the Federal Ministry of Justice) opposed the bail application and prayed the court to reject it.
Kaswe informed the court that this was the third time that the defendant would apply for bail.
He argued that nothing has changed since his last two bail applications were refused, adding that the defendant has not provided any new facts that would make the court to exercise it’s discretion in the defendant’s favour.
Justice Umar however, faulted Usman’s claim that past decisions taken in the case could no longer apply, noting that since parties agreed that past proceedings in the case before adopted by the new judge, the case could not be said to have commenced afresh.
Earlier, Justice Umar granted an application by the prosecution that the record of proceedings before the previous judge be adopted by the new judge to allow the trial to continue from where the last judge stopped.
The judge also granted an order retaining all the earlier decisions and orders issued by the previous judge.
Kaswe said the prosecution had called four witnesses before the other judge and need just two more days to call the remaing two or three witnesses to close the case of the state.
With the agreement of lawyers to parties, Justice Umar adjourned till October 16 (at 12 noon) and 22 for the continuation of trial.
Mamu was arraigned on March 21, 2023 by the Federal Government on a 10-count charge bordering on terrorism financing, among others.
Mamu was arrested on September 7, 2022 by Egyptian security officials at the Cairo International Airport, on reasonable suspicion of financing Boko Haram terrorism activities.
He was alleged to have convinced the terrorists to discuss ransom payments with individual families of the hostages of the train attack instead of the Chief of Defense Staff Committee set up by the Federal Government for his personal financial gain.
He was said to have been nominated by the terrorists that attacked the Abuja-Kaduna bound train sometime in March 2022 which took scores of persons hostage.
Mamu was alleged to have collected ransoms on behalf of the Boko Haram terrorists from families of hostages, confirmed the amount and facilitated the delivery of same to the terrorists.