Court orders trial-within-trial over alleged confessions in army base attack case

The Federal High Court successful Abuja has ordered a trial-within-trial to find the admissibility of confessional statements allegedly made by 2 defendants lasting proceedings implicit an onslaught connected a Nigerian Army enactment successful Wawa successful 2020.

The ruling was delivered by Justice Emeka Nwite aft defence counsel challenged the statements, arguing they were not voluntarily made.

Zagazola Makama reports that during the proceedings, a prosecution witnesser told the tribunal that the 2nd suspect admitted participating successful the attack, which allegedly led to the decease of respective soldiers.

According to the witness, the defendants besides confessed to kidnapping the in-law of erstwhile Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, identified arsenic Alhaji Musa Umar Uba, arsenic good arsenic an migration serviceman and a customs officer.

The witnesser further testified that the 2nd suspect confessed to swearing allegiance to Jama’at Nusrat al‑Islam wal‑Muslimin, which allegedly supplied the radical with arms and ammunition.

Counsel to the defendants, Bala Dakum, opposed the admissibility of the alleged confessional statements and sought to person them excluded from evidence.

However, the prosecution counsel argued that the statements were obtained successful enactment with the law.

“The defendants’ statements were obtained without coercion, successful the beingness of a law...