The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has commenced a trial-within-trial to determine the admissibility of confessional statements made by suspects accused of masterminding the 2011 bombing of the United Nations building in Abuja.
The session, which began on Friday, followed allegations by the defendants that their statements were obtained under duress, intimidation, and coercion by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS).
During the resumed hearing, counsel representing both the prosecution and defence informed the court that they had jointly reviewed video recordings of the interrogation sessions in the presence of court officials.
The DSS also told the court that it would present masked witnesses during the trial-within-trial to testify on the circumstances under which the statements were obtained.
Justice Emeka Nwite, who presided over the matter, had earlier granted the DSS’s application for an accelerated hearing, describing the prolonged case as one of national importance.
The case centres on Khalid Al-Barnawi, alleged leader of the Ansaru faction of Boko Haram and the purported mastermind of the August 26, 2011 bombing that targeted the UN building in Abuja. The attack claimed over 20 lives and left more than 70 others injured.
Al-Barnawi was arrested by the DSS in 2016 in Lokoja, Kogi State, after years on the run. He and other defendants are facing terrorism-related charges under Nigeria’s Terrorism (Prevention) Act.
The trial-within-trial is expected to determine whether the disputed confessional statements were voluntarily made before the main trial continues.
Justice Nwite adjourned further hearing to a later date for the continuation of the proceedings.
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