The proceedings involving two senior figures of the Ansaru terrorist group were halted after the defence team asked for additional time, prompting the court to shift the matter and address concerns raised about access to the suspects.
The pause in the case followed complaints from defence counsel about the documents required to proceed and the constraints he said he faced while preparing for the next stage of the prosecution.
The judge considered the submissions after both sides presented their positions, with the court opting to move the matter forward to allow the process to continue without interference in the defendants’ rights.
The trial, scheduled to begin on Wednesday at the Federal High Court in Abuja, did not proceed after counsel to the accused persons, Bala Dakum, said he needed to be served with the charges and to study the proof of evidence. He told the court the documents were still with the Department of State Services (DSS), where the suspects remain in custody.
Dakum asked that the defendants be moved to a correctional centre to ensure easier access. DSS lawyer David Kaswe opposed the request, arguing that witnesses were already in court and that the defence had not followed the required protocol for visiting clients in DSS custody.
Kaswe urged the court to direct the defence to write formally to the DSS for permission to visit the suspects and to copy the prosecutor. Justice Emeka Nwite, in a brief ruling, said he would consider the defence request in the interest of fair hearing and adjourned the matter to January 15, 2026. He also directed the defence to notify the DSS and the prosecution when seeking access.
The judge had earlier, on September 11, sentenced one of the defendants, Mahmud Usman (also known as Abu Bara’a/Abbas Mukhtar), to 15 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to one count of illegal mining.
Usman admitted to count 10 of the 32-count terrorism charge filed against him and his deputy, Abubakar Abba (also known as Isah Adam/Mahmud Al-Nigeri).
Both men were charged with illegal mining between 2015 and 2025, with the Federal Government alleging they extracted minerals without lawful authority, an offence under Section 8(b) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act.
Although Usman pleaded guilty to the illegal mining count, Abba did not when all charges were read. The two, referred to as top leaders of Ansaru, were arraigned on the 32-count charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/464/2025, filed on September 4.
They were accused of aiding and abetting terrorism between 2013 and 2015, and of becoming commanders of the proscribed Ansaru organisation. Other counts alleged they received training in weapons handling and in fabricating improvised explosive devices, and later received war-tactics training from the JNIM terrorist group in Mali.
One charge linked them to contributing to the 2022 attack on Wawa Cantonment in Niger State, among other allegations. Both defendants were ordered to remain in DSS custody pending the conclusion of the trial.
