A witness from the Department of State Services (DSS) testified in the Federal High Court in Abuja that Tukur Mamu, who is on trial for allegedly funding terrorism, was never appointed by the federal government to negotiate with terrorists responsible for the attack on the Abuja-Kaduna train in 2022.
The witness, an operative of the DSS, stated that Tukur Mamu disregarded the committee established by the Chief of Defence Staff to negotiate the release of those abducted during the train attack on March 28, 2022.
Led in evidence by DSS lawyer, David Kaswe on Wednesday, the witness, whose identity was not made public for security purposes, said the defendant, “was not mandated by the government to engage in any form of investigation or negotiation with terrorists, but acted on his own for his personal benefit.”
The witness alleged that the defendant encouraged terrorists to discuss ransom payments with victims, collected money on their behalf, confirmed amounts, and “facilitated payments illegally.”
He further claimed that the defendant benefited financially from the ransom negotiations and possessed firearms unlawfully, and even provided terrorists with information on how to create a website.
The witness added that huge money recovered from the Kaduna residence of the defendant exceeded the threshold permitted by law, and that the defendant’s lifestyle changed significantly during the negotiation period.
“He was arrested in the company of four family members while on a trip to Egypt, and he bought two flash cars during the negotiation period,” the witness stated.
During cross-examination, defence counsel, Johnson Usman, SAN, challenged several aspects of the DSS investigation.
Usman questioned whether the DSS, which has operatives at all Nigerian airports, verified how the defendant and his family travelled to Egypt to which the witness replied that he was not aware of their travel details but confirmed that the defendant’s passport was in DSS custody.
When asked if he was a diligent investigator, the witness affirmed that he was, though he admitted he did not open the defendant’s passport during the investigation, saying it was not necessary because he worked with a preliminary report.
The defence also queried inconsistencies regarding the negotiation process. Usman suggested that the terrorists asked the victims to propose negotiators, and the victims suggested several names.
The witness agreed that the victims introduced names, but insisted that only the defendant (Mamu) agreed to engage with the terrorists, and maintained that the defendant was not part of the CDS committee.
Meanwhile, Justice Mohammed Garba Umar has adjourned till January 29, 2026 for further cross-examination of the witness.
