The Department of State Services (DSS) re-arraigned Husseni Ismaila, also known as Maitangaran, the alleged mastermind of the 2014 multiple bomb attacks in Kano, at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday, News About Nigeria gathered.
The prosecuting counsel, Mr E.A. Aduda, informed the court that the DSS had filed an amended charge of four counts against the defendant.
The charges relate to Ismaila’s alleged membership in Boko Haram and direct participation in an act of terrorism, including confessing to bombing the Kano Central Mosque in 2014.
Upon reading the charges, the defendant pleaded not guilty to all four counts. The prosecuting counsel requested the court to proceed with the trial, given the not-guilty plea.
However, the defence counsel, Mr Peter Dajang, argued that the trial should not proceed because the prosecution had failed to comply with a valid court order.
He claimed that the court, on December 6, 2021, ordered the prosecution to transfer the defendant from DSS custody to the Kuje Correctional Centre to allow for proper legal representation.
The defence argued that the prosecution had not adhered to this order, and the defendant remained in DSS custody.
Dajang further contended that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the prosecution’s application to vary the order, emphasising that the order was made seven months ago, and the prosecution had not sought leave to file the application out of time.
The prosecuting counsel responded by stating that an application had been filed seeking to vary the order, and the court had not yet ruled on it.
The judge adjourned the matter to January 25, 2024, to rule on the application to vary the order and scheduled February 7, 2024, for the continuation of the substantive matter.
