The trial of the Ansaru leaders, Mahmud Usman and Abubakar Abba, on terrorism charges has been fixed for November 19 by the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Justice Emeka Nwite shifted yesterday’s trial to November 19 following Mohammed Abubakar, the Department of State Services (DSS) counsel’s absence.
In a letter to the court registrar, the lawyer apologised for his inability to be present and sought an adjournment so that he could conduct the trial.
Following no objection to the request, Justice Nwite subsequently fixed November 19 for the trial of the two defendants.
During the last proceedings, the court sentenced one of the two defendants, Mahmud Muhammed Usman aka Abu Bara’a, to 15 years imprisonment for illegal mining.
Usman, who hails from Okene local government area of Kogi State and Abubakar Abba aka Isah Adam or Mahmud Al-Nigeri, who hails from Daura, Katsina State, were arraigned by the DSS on 32 counts of terrorism and related offences.
Of the counts, Usman, the first defendant, pleaded guilty to count 10, which involved illegal mining. The trial judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, consequently convicted him of the crime and sentenced him to 15 years in prison.
The second alleged Ansaru commander, Abubakar Abba, who was arraigned alongside the convict, however, denied the economic sabotage offence.
At the arraignment proceedings, Mohammed Babadoko Abubakar, the director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, said that the two defendants committed the crime between 2015 and 2024.
