The Department of State Services will on Thursday re-arraign five suspected members of the Ansaru terrorist group over their alleged involvement in the abduction of pupils and teachers in Oyo State and the subsequent killing of two victims.
The suspects are to appear before the Federal High Court in Abuja on a six-count amended charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/438/2026, filed by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, on behalf of the Federal Government.
The accused are Mahmud Muhammad, also known as Abu Bara’a and Abbas Mukhtar; Abubakar Abbas, aka Isah Adam and Mallam Mahmuda Al-Nigeri; Abdulrazak Umar, aka Abu Khalifa and Abu Khalid; Yunusa Musa, aka Abu Yunusa Bin Musa; and Shamsu Adamu Sani, aka Abu Itisar.
The re-arraignment was initially scheduled for Wednesday but was adjourned after the first defendant objected to being represented by a lawyer from the Legal Aid Council.
A Deputy Director of the council, Akilaluyel Shettima, had announced his appearance for the five defendants before Justice Saliu Ibrahim.
However, Muhammad, speaking on behalf of the others, told the court that they wanted their previous lawyer, Bala Dakum, to continue representing them.
“We had been represented by Bala Dakum as our lawyer before, and we would want him to continue to defend us,” he said.
Oyedepo, who conceded that the defendants’ right to counsel of their choice was a constitutional matter, said the DSS was not interested in persecuting them but in ensuring justice.
Justice Ibrahim subsequently adjourned the matter until Thursday and directed the defendants to contact Dakum and ensure his presence in court.
The judge also ordered the DSS to grant the suspects access to their lawyer to enable them to prepare their defence in accordance with the law.
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