The court also ordered the immediate re-
opening of Amigo Supermarket.
Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High
Court, Abuja, on Friday sentenced Talal
Roda, a Lebanese, to life in prison for
illegal possession of firearms.
Mr. Ademola, who gave the verdict in his
judgment, held that Mr. Roda was guilty of
conspiracy to transport, import, sell and
hoard large unlicensed firearms stored at
No.3 Gaya Road, Kano.
Mr. Roda, also accused of being a member
of the Lebanese group, Hezbollah, along
with two of his compatriots, Mustapha
Fawaz and Abdallah Thahini, were charged
with criminal conspiracy and unlawful
importation of prohibited firearms.
They were arrested in May in connection
with a large cache of arms found at the
Gaya Road residence in Kano. Mr. Fawaz is
a co-owner of Abuja’s Amigo Supermarket
and Wonderland Amusement Park.
The judge, however, said the prosecution
failed to prove the allegation of illegal
possession against Messrs Fawaz and
Thahini.
“It is clear from the evidence adduced by
both the prosecution and Roda that he
(Roda) is guilty on count four and nine of
the charge.”
“He did not only reside at No.3 Gaya Road,
Kano, he was in charge of the arm cache,
allegedly managed by Abdulhassan Tahir,
now at large.”
“In this circumstance, Roda is found guilty
of illegal possession which carries life
sentence, while the first and the second
accused persons are freed from this,’’ he
said.
Similarly, the judge dismissed the
declaration sought by the prosecution,
urging the court to hold that Hezbollah was
an International Terrorist Organisation.
Hezbollah is considered by the U.S. and
recently by the EU as a terrorist
organisation. The Lebanese organisation
has both a political arm, which has
representatives in government, and a
military wing.
Justice Ademola said that aspect of the
allegation linking the three accused persons
to a terrorist organisation could not be
proved by the prosecution.
“The Terrorism Protection Act (TPA)
underscores the elements that must be
fulfilled by a group to be declared as a
terrorism organisation.”
“The court is not convinced by the
allegation that Hezbollah is an international
terrorist organisation.”
“This is because Nigeria is signatory to
about 12 international laws on terrorism
and Hezbollah has not been captured in
these statutes as a terrorist organisation.”
“If such law declaring Hezbollah as a
terrorist organisation exists elsewhere, it is
yet to be domesticated and published in a
Federal gazette in Nigeria.”
“I hold that the allegation is baseless and
stand dismissed against the three accused
persons,” he said.
On the allegation that Roda, Fawaz and
Thahini converted Amigo Supermarket and
Wonderland Amusement Park to meeting
points to plan terrorists’ attacks, the judge
said no evidence was adduced by the
prosecution to prove the charge.
Ademola further held that Fawaz, the owner
of the two business outfits located in Abuja,
did not convert his two premises to
terrorists’ haven.
“Fawaz, Amigo Supermarket and the
Wonderland Amusement park are hereby
absolved of all the allegations and are
therefore freed,’’ he said.
On the charge of money laundering
instituted against the second accused
person, Thahini, over non-declaration of
61,170 dollars at the Aminu Kano Airport,
Kano, Mr. Ademola said the prosecution
could not prove the allegation.
“I tend to believe the confessional
statement made by Thahini that he was at
the point of declaring the money before he
was arrested.”
“The security operatives that accosted
Thahini did not do so because of the money
he carried, they only discovered the cash
during his search,’’ he held.
In his consequential order, Mr. Ademola
said that the management of the Prison
Service should immediately release the first
and the second accused persons to enable
them return to their homes.
He further held that Amigo Supermarket
and Wonderland Amusement Park must be
immediately vacated and opened by the
State Security Service or other agents of
government in charge.
Also, Mr. Ademola directed that the sum of
61,170 dollars sized from Mr. Thahini
should be returned to him.
According to him, the impounded firearms
should be forfeited to the Federal
Government.
Earlier, Ahmed Raji, counsel to the accused
persons, pleaded with the court to use its
discretion in sentencing Mr. Roda.
Mr. Raji said the plea was predicated on
the fact that Mr. Roda was a first offender
and had assisted the security operatives
during their investigations.
He further said the convict has a wife,
children and grandchildren to watch over.
However, the judge said that Section 131(1)
of the Terrorism Protection Act under which
the convict was charged, prescribed life
sentence.
“This section of the Act has barred me from
using any discretion in sentencing the
convict,’’ he said.

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lertee: Thank God the case is over,i hope we can have our amigos and wonderland back,at least there will be more places to visit this christmas.

lertee: Thank God the case is over,i hope we can have our amigos and wonderland back,at least there will be more places to visit this christmas.

lertee: Thank God the case is over,i hope we can have our amigos and wonderland back,at least there will be more places to visit this christmas.

.see ur mouth na life we dey talk soo