Proceedings in the terrorism trial of two alleged top leaders of Ansaru, an al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group, were stalled on Thursday at the Federal High Court in Abuja following complaints by the defence that they were denied access to their clients in custody.
The trial judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, was forced to halt proceedings after defence counsel, Bala Dakum, informed the court that he had been unable to meet the defendants, Mahmud Usman and Abubakar Abba, who are being held by the State Security Service (SSS).
The defendants, captured by Nigerian security forces in August 2025, are standing trial on a 32-count charge bordering on terrorism, terrorism financing, illegal mining, kidnapping, and bombings allegedly carried out between 2013 and 2015. They were arraigned in September 2025 and pleaded not guilty to all charges, except Usman who later admitted to one count of illegal mining and was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment.
At Thursday’s sitting, which was scheduled for the commencement of trial, Dakum told the court that he took over the case in October 2025 but had not had any opportunity to consult with the defendants. He said he could not proceed with the trial without access to them and urged the court to order their transfer to a correctional facility to enable proper legal representation.
“If they want us to proceed, I must have access to them or they should be taken to any of the prison facilities,” the lawyer said.
Responding, the prosecution counsel, David Kaswe, said he was ready to call the first prosecution witness but explained that access to the defendants was currently restricted due to an ongoing facility upgrade at the SSS detention centre. According to him, the upgrade, being carried out in collaboration with international partners, was aimed at meeting global best practices.
Kaswe apologised to the court and requested an adjournment, noting that access to detainees would remain difficult until the upgrade was completed.
Justice Nwite expressed displeasure over the situation, noting that the matter was fixed for trial commencement and that he had made special efforts to sit, including during the court vacation period. He questioned the justification for the delay and asked how long the upgrade would take.
An SSS officer in court said he could not give a definite timeline but suggested the work might be completed by March or April.
The judge observed that the uncertainty surrounding the upgrade posed a challenge to effective case management. In response, the prosecution undertook to agree to the transfer of the defendants to a correctional facility if defence counsel continued to be denied access before the next hearing.
Dakum, however, insisted that the defendants should be granted immediate access to their lawyer and family members, particularly Usman, whom he said has 19 children.
After taking arguments from both sides, Justice Nwite adjourned the matter until March 16 for the commencement of trial, while noting the prosecution’s undertaking on access to the defendants.
