Nigeria: Court Orders Accelerated Hearing Over US, Israeli Embassy Spy Plot

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday granted an accelerated hearing in the trial of three terror suspects accused of spying on the United States and Israeli embassies in Nigeria for individuals allegedly linked to Iran.

Justice Emeka Nwite approved the request following an oral application by prosecuting counsel, Bello Abu, seeking a speedy trial. Defence lawyers did not oppose the application.

The defendants — Haruna Ali Abbas, Ibrahim Hussaini Musa and Adam Suleiman — were arrested in Kano and Lagos states in 2013 over alleged terrorism-related activities.

At the resumed hearing, a senior official of the Department of State Services (DSS), identified as James Simon, told the court that Abbas admitted being recruited to spy on American and Israeli interests in Nigeria, particularly their diplomatic missions.

Simon, who testified as the first prosecution witness (PW-1), said he personally recorded Abbas’ statement detailing his involvement and alleged role in recruiting other Nigerians.

According to the witness, Abbas confessed that Iranian military personnel trained some Nigerians, including the defendants, in activities linked to terrorism.

Under cross-examination by Abbas’ counsel, Aliyu Yauri, the DSS officer stated that although he did not personally know the Iranian trainers, their alleged actions amounted to terrorism.

“Their involvement in such an act — training Nigerians in acts of terrorism — even if you are not formally branded as a terrorist organisation, still amounts to the act of terrorism,” Simon told the court.

When asked whether participation in military training alone could qualify the defendants as terrorists, the witness responded in the affirmative.

“The act of involvement of non-military personnel in surveillance, recruitment of persons and even weapon handling amounts to the act of terrorism,” he said.

“The question should be, for what purpose were their training? Why will non-military personnel go outside the shores of the country to get military training?”

Reading from Abbas’ confessional statement, Simon said the first defendant claimed he and others were trained by unidentified military instructors in Iran.

The training allegedly covered surveillance, counter-surveillance, recruitment techniques, information security, open-source intelligence gathering, communication methods and a one-day firearms handling session.

The witness said Abbas stated that trainees were later taken to a shooting range within an Iranian military barracks for weapons practice.

According to the statement read in court, Abbas wrote:

“My mission was to send news concerning the American embassy and Israeli embassy locations.”

Simon further testified that Abbas admitted being tasked with recruiting additional individuals for training abroad.

Quoting another part of the statement, the witness said Abbas wrote:

“I came back to Nigeria, they gave me a mission to write open source news to the America and Israel.”

He also read another passage stating:

“They requested three persons, from among those we trusted, to be sent to them for training… They gave me the same mission — America, Israel, open source intelligence.”

The DSS witness told the court that Abbas’ responsibilities allegedly included sending individuals for training in Iran and transmitting open-source intelligence relating to American and Israeli interests.

Justice Nwite subsequently adjourned the matter until April 1 for continuation of hearing.