A Federal High Court in Abuja has granted the Department of State Services (DSS) permission to detain 10 suspected terrorists for 60 days as investigations into their activities continue.
The suspects were allegedly planning to establish a Boko Haram/ISWAP cell in Osun State.
In his ruling, Justice Emeka Nwite described the DSS’s application as meritorious. “An order is hereby made enabling the State Security Service (aka DSS) to detain the respondents for sixty (60) days pending the conclusion of the investigation,” he stated.
The case was adjourned to March 3 for mention.
The suspects, arrested on December 16, 2024, in Ilesa East LGA of Osun State, include Adamu Abubakar (aka Abu Aisha), Babagana Bashuli, Muhammed Adam, Mustapha Abacha, and five others. According to an affidavit by DSS operative Yamuje Benye, the suspects were apprehended based on credible intelligence linking them to Boko Haram/ISWAP.
The DSS revealed that the suspects were undergoing training on the manufacture and detonation of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and were linked to the late Abubakar Shekau’s faction of Boko Haram.
Prompt News reports that the suspects allegedly fled to Osun State following intensified military operations in Sambisa Forest.
The agency emphasized that releasing the suspects at this stage would jeopardize ongoing efforts to apprehend other members of the terrorist group still at large.
The DSS stated, “Their activities pose a potent threat to national security and Nigeria’s corporate existence.”
In a related development, Justice Nwite also approved a 60-day detention for two additional suspects, Ayomide Akintunde and Nurudeen Adesiyan, arrested on December 19, 2024, in Modakeke, Osun State.
The DSS linked them to a Moroccan terrorist in custody of the Spanish National Police, who is under investigation for planning attacks in Nigeria.
The DSS argued that a thorough investigation was essential to ensure the suspects do not pose further threats to Nigeria or international security.
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