July 12, 2012 | 4:00 am
News
By Ikechukwu Nnochiri
ABUJA — The ongoing trial of alleged
masterminds of the October 1, 2010 bomb
blast has assumed a fresh dimension, as a
prosecution witness, yesterday, accused
former governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre
Sylva and three other persons, of complicity.
The witness who made the allegation before
a Federal High Court in Abuja, equally
indicted a former Secretary to the Brass Local
Government Area in Bayelsa State and
member of the Presidential Committee on
Amnesty, Mr Victor Ben, as well as a
repentant ex-militant, Ebikabowei a.k.a
Boyloaf.
He made the allegations while testifying as
the fourth prosecution witness in the trial of
one of the alleged perpetrators of the
bombing that resulted in the death of 12
persons while Nigeria celebrated its 50th
Independence Day, Edmund Ebiware.
It would be recalled that Justice Gabriel
Kolawole had on May 3, okayed separate trial
for Ebiware, who was hitherto facing
terrorism charges alongside Charles Okah
who is the younger brother to the embattled
ex-leader of the Movement for the
Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND,
Henry Okah, and the 3rd accused person, Obi
Nwabueze.
Ebiware was specifically alleged to have
exchanged incriminating text messages with
the erstwhile Director-General of the Ibrahim
Babamasi Babangida, IBB, Campaign
Organisation and Chairman of Daar
Communications, Chief Raymond Dokpesi,
prior to the twin bomb blasts at Eagle Square,
in Abuja.
At his resumed trial, yesterday, the witness
who was masked by the State Security
Service, SSS, which simply identified him as
“Mr X”, while under cross examination,
alleged that he informed Sylva about plans by
Henry Okah to carry out the bomb attacks.
His testimony
He said he got wind of the planned attacks
from his friend, one Emmanuel Allison, who
was earlier declared wanted by the SSS,
adding that he equally informed the accused
person, Ebiware.
The witness who further told the court that
he was arrested with the accused person on
October 3, 2010, under questioning by the
prosecuting counsel, Mr Goddy Uche,
confessed that it was he and his friend,
Allison, that carried out the Warri bombings.
He said they had meetings with Henry before
the Independence Day bombings, saying he
was exempted from trial after he
volunteered to cooperate with the SSS in the
course of the trial of the other accused
persons who denied complicity in the crime.
He said: “I knew Edmund through Stanley
Ogbakyri. I knew Okah too and we have each
other’s phone number. And we do talk on
phone. I knew with the looks of things Okah
wanted to cause more problems after
amnesty programme, because Okah felt the
programme was no longer going the way it
was originally designed to be.
“As at September 2010, I knew that there
would be a bomb blast in Abuja. I received a
phone call from Emma Harrisson that Henry
Okah will bomb Abuja on October 1, 2010. I
called Edmund and told him what I heard. He
did not say anything.
“I reported what Harrison told me to Boyloaf
and Victor Ben. I reported to Sylva, as well as
Zion Amanda who was then serving as the
Secretary of Brass LGA. Amanda is very close
to Sylva and I knew he was also going to tell
Sylva too.”
Meanwhile, the court admitted six
statements attached to the proof of evidence
made by the witness into evidence.
Further hearing on the matter was,
yesterday, adjourned till July 19.
Charles, whose elder brother, Henry is
equally facing a similar trial in South Africa,
was apprehended by the SSS on allegation
that he and the other accused persons,
conspired with one Emmanuel Allison and
made direct attempt at endangering the life
of President Goodluck Jonathan by seeking to
drive two motor vehicles wired with time-
regulated explosive devices to the Eagle
Square where the Independence celebration
was taking place.
They were also said to have between January
2 and March 15, 2010, within Port-Harcourt
Rivers State and diverse places, conspired
with Henry Okah, Chima Orlu, (at large), and
persons unknown and made direct attempt
to endanger the lives of the Governor of
Delta state, Edo state and Imo state by
seeking to drive two motor vehicles wired
with time regulated explosive devices into
government house annex, Warri, Delta State,
the venue of the Vanguard Post Amnesty
Dialogue, where the said governors were in
attendance, in order to cause a bomb blast
for the purpose of levying war against the
state.
The accused persons were initially arraigned
before the High Court on December 7, 2010
and subsequently re-arraigned on January 12,
2011.


www.vanguardngr.com/2012/07/october-1-2010-bombing-i-told-sylva-boyloaf-two-others-sss-witness/