The Jonathan Admini-stration yesterday asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to grant an order for the secret trial of three men charged with having links with the Boko Haram sect.
The federal government, in an application filed by Mrs N.B. Jones Nebo, Chief State Counsel, Attorney-General of the Federation’s Office, said this was necessary to protect the identity of its witnesses.
The three accused persons – Mohammed Yunus, Musa Umar and Salami Abdullahi – were arraigned on an eight-count charge bordering on terrorism.
They were arrested in October, 2013, for allegedly holding various meetings aimed at planning to carry out insurgency across the country and have been remanded in prison custody.
Nebo also said that the prosecution’s motion was brought pursuant to the provisions of Sections 33 and 34 of the Terrorism Prevention Act 2013, as amended, and Section 115 of the Evidence Act.
Mr Hassan Liman, SAN, Mr James Ocholi, SAN, and Mr Abdul Mohammed, counsel to the first, second and third accused, however, all opposed the prosecution’s application in separate counter-affidavits.
They also prayed the court to dismiss and discountenance the application for lacking merit and being incompetent.
Justice Kolawole, after hearing the arguments of all the counsel, adjourned the case to March 18 for ruling on the prosecution’s application.
