A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Wednesday, detained an Assistant Superintendent of Police, A. A Babangida, and 19 others for 30 days over their alleged involvement in banditry, kidnapping and terrorism activities.
Justice Peter Lifu gave the order while delivering a ruling in an ex-parte application marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1146/2024, brought before the court by the Defence Intelligence Agency.
Justice Lifu ordered that Babangida be detained along with the other suspects for 30 days to enable DIA operatives to carry out a thorough investigation into their alleged involvement in the crime.
The other suspects are Usman Idris, Abu Safiyanu, Alhassan Idris, Sahada Ishaka, Abubakar Ibrahim Sani Bello, Yahaya Abdullahi, Haruna Salisu and Mohammed Muazu.
Others are Nura Idris, Manu Mohammed, Umar Lamu, Abubakar Mandara, Suleiman Mohammed, Alhaji Madayi, Amodu Oghewe and Uzoma Aghaoyibo.
Babangida was alleged to have been helping the Boko Haram, bandits and ISWAP members in carrying out terrorism activities in some parts of the country.
He was arrested in June following an intelligence report received by the DIA and has since been in the custody of the agency.
DIA’s counsel, S.A Aminu, while arguing the ex-parte application, told the court that the agency “intends to carry out a critical investigation into the unlawful activities of Babangida and others before handing them over to the Attorney General of the Federation for prosecution”.
The lawyer told the court that the involvement of the suspects in terrorist activities was complex and the bomb experts for the gang had just been apprehended based on information obtained from detainees.
She, therefore, requested the permission of the court to detain the suspects for 90 days.
The agency, in a 21-paragraph affidavit ex-parte application, explained how it obtained information that led to the arrest of the suspects in various locations and at different times.
After going through the documentary exhibits placed before the court, Justice Lifu declined to grant the 90 days requested by DIA on the grounds that the suspects had been in custody for three months.
He held that according to the Constitution, the defendants are presumed innocent until proven otherwise.
He ordered the agency to “detain the suspects till the conclusion of the investigation.”
Justice Lifu also ordered that the DIA should do everything within its powers and within the ambit of the law to complete its investigation into the allegations against the suspects so as not to run foul of the law.
PUNCH
