Africa-Press – Nigeria. The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered a trial-within-trial to determine the admissibility of confessional statements allegedly made by two defendants standing trial over an attack on a Nigerian Army formation in Wawa in 2020.
The ruling was delivered by Justice Emeka Nwite after defence counsel challenged the statements, arguing they were not voluntarily made.
Zagazola Makama reports that during the proceedings, a prosecution witness told the court that the second defendant admitted participating in the attack, which allegedly led to the death of several soldiers.
According to the witness, the defendants also confessed to kidnapping the in-law of former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, identified as Alhaji Musa Umar Uba, as well as an immigration officer and a customs officer.
The witness further testified that the second defendant confessed to swearing allegiance to Jama’at Nusrat al‐Islam wal‐Muslimin, which allegedly supplied the group with arms and ammunition.
Counsel to the defendants, Bala Dakum, opposed the admissibility of the alleged confessional statements and sought to have them excluded from evidence.
However, the prosecution counsel argued that the statements were obtained in line with the law.
“The defendants’ statements were obtained without coercion, in the presence of a lawyer from the Legal Aid Council, in compliance with the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act,” the prosecution maintained.
In a brief ruling, Justice Nwite ordered that a trial-within-trial be conducted to determine whether the statements were voluntarily made and therefore admissible in court.
The matter was subsequently adjourned to April 13, 2026, for the commencement of the trial-within-trial.
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