Abuja – The trial of seven
suspected Boko Haram
members at the Federal High
Court, Abuja, was stalled on
Wednesday because of the
absence of legal
representation for the
accused.
Usman Sani, Abdulrahman
Musa, Mahmud Mohammed,
Kabir Mohammed, Umar
Danjuma, Ibrahim Abba and
Abdullahi Lawan are accused
of killing and raiding banks
in Bauchi State in 2011.
SUSPECTED-BOKO-HARAM-MEMBER
The judge, Justice A.R
Mohammed, held that the
court would take the pleas of
the suspects without legal
representation if they failed
to make legal representation.
“The case carries a heavy
penalty which hovers
between life and death
sentence, so we must give
the suspects opportunity to
defend themselves.
“In the light of this, the
suspects are enjoined to get
the services of lawyers on or
before the next adjourned
date of May 28.
“However, the court would
have no option left than to
take the plea of the suspects
with or without legal
representation on that day,’’
the judge said.
He ordered that the suspects
be remanded at the Kuje
Prison.
The suspects were alleged to
have robbed some banks in
Bauchi State in 2011 for the
purpose of raising funds to
support the Boko Haram
sect.
The court has failed twice to
proceed with the trial
because of none legal
representation for the
suspects.
At the resumed hearing, the
prosecutor, Mr David Kwase,
said that attempt to get legal
assistance from the Nigeria
Legal Aids Council for the
suspects did not yield any
positive result.
“My Lord, I did write to the
Legal Aids Council as I
promised to do in the last
sitting but the council did
not respond to my letter.
“I want to, therefore,
suggest that the court
accepts the arrangement of
the suspects to defend
themselves.
“My Lord, in fact from
experience, it has always
been a tug of war to get
Boko Haram suspects to
accept government paid
lawyers,’’ he said.
The suspects were alleged to
have raided Unity Bank of
Nigeria Plc Alkaleri branch in
Bauchi State, on July 18,
2011 and carted away N17.8
million.
They were accused of
invading Intercontinental
Bank Plc, Azare branch on
Dec. 4, 2011 in the state and
carted away the sum of
N7.3 million.
The suspects were also
alleged to have attacked
Guarantee Trust Bank in
Azare, Bauchi State, on Dec. 4,
2011, where they stole
another N25.1 million.
They were also accused of
breaking into the Alkaleri
Divisional Police
Headquarters and assisted
in the release of some
terrorism suspects in
detention.
At Tafawa Balewa Town, also
in Bauchi State, the accused
persons were alleged to
have shot sporadically and
in the process, killed DSP Ola
Mukaila Adeleke.
Other police officers
allegedly killed by the
suspects in the raid of Dce.4,
2011 were Babangida
Ibrahim, Suleiman Ibrahim
and Mohammed Adamu.
The prosecution said that by
the actions, the suspects
contravened Section 4(1)(a)
of the Terrorism Prevention
Act 2011, which is
punishable by death under
Section 4(2) of the Act. (NAN)http://vanguardngr.com/2013/04/counsels-absence-stalls-trial-of-7-boko-haram-suspects/

They should kill them before the stupid amnesty