Alleged ThisDay bomber fails to stop trial

 

 

An Abuja Federal High Court on Tuesday held that a suspected Boko Haram member, Mustapha Umar, who was accused of attempting to bomb a plaza housing the offices of some newspapers in Kaduna in April 2012, had a case to answer.

 

The court presided over by Justice Adeniyi Ademola dismissed a no-case submission filed by the accused after the prosecution had concluded calling witnesses against him.

 

Umar’s lawyer, Nureini Sulaiman, had in the application argued that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case against his client.

 

But Justice Ademola ruled that the suspect had a case to answer, and ordered him to open his defence.

 

As a result of the development, Umar testified in his own defence, claiming that he was innocent of the one count of terrorism filed against him.

 

He denied the confessional statement he made in a video-evidence tendered by the prosecution and admitted as evidence by the court.

 

Umar said the video, where he admitted the charge, was doctored by his interrogators, who he accused of excluding where he was tortured and compelled to confess to the crime.

 

In the said video, Umar was seen freely answering questions put to him by a police interrogator.