A Federal High Court in Abuja has postponed the high-profile terrorism trial of two senior leaders of the Ansaru terror group until January 2026, following a heated session between prosecution and defence lawyers over access to the accused.
Justice Emeka Nwite shifted the trial commencement to 15th January 2026, after the defendants’ counsel, B.I. Bakum, pleaded for more time, stating he had not been served with the charges and proof of evidence.
The case, which was initially set to begin on Wednesday, hit an immediate procedural snag. Bakum informed the court that the crucial legal documents were still with the Department of State Services (DSS), where the suspects, Mahmud Usman and Abubakar Abba, are being detained on the court’s orders.
In a move that sparked contention, Bakum also prayed the court to order the transfer of his clients from DSS custody to a standard correctional centre. He argued this was necessary to “enable easy access and ensure prompt and hitch-free trial.”
The prayer was strongly opposed by the DSS counsel, David Kaswe, an Assistant Director in the Federal Ministry of Justice. Kaswe urged the court to begin the trial immediately, noting that the witnesses were already present in court.
He defended the DSS’s protocol, stating that the defence lawyer had failed to follow the proper procedure for accessing his clients. “Protocol in the DSS required the defendant’s lawyer to write to the agency seeking permission to see his clients and copy me,” Kaswe told the court. “Heretofore, the lawyer had failed to do so.”
Kaswe further pleaded with Justice Nwite to “order the defendants lawyer to always respect the protocol of the DSS by writing formally for permission to visit the defendants and also copy him so that he would be of assistance.”
In a brief ruling, Justice Nwite sided with the defence on the issue of time, stating that in the interest of fair hearing, he would adjourn the case. “I will, in the interest of fair hearing, consider the submission of the defendants’ lawyer and move the trial a future date,” Justice Nwite stated.
While setting the new trial date for January 2026, the judge also ordered the defence counsel to “always write DSS for permission to visit his clients and copy the prosecutor.”
The two defendants are being prosecuted by the DSS on a 32-count charge of terrorism. The court heard that while Abubakar Abba pleaded not guilty to all counts, Mahmud Usman pleaded guilty to one count—Count 10, which borders on economic crime.
Usman’s partial admission has already led to a conviction. On 11th September, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison after confessing that he “engaged in illegal mining activities and used the proceeds to acquire arms that aided his terrorism and kidnapping activities.”
The Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Mohammed Babadoko Abubakar, alleged that the crimes were committed between 2015 and 2024. The charges include bombing the Wawa Military Cantonment in Niger State, receiving weapons training, and fabricating improvised explosive devices.
The DSS alleged the men belong to foreign terror groups, engaged in terrorism financing and kidnapping, and received training on war tactics from a terrorist organisation in Mali. They are also accused of kidnapping and, in one instance, killing a Customs officer and an Immigration officer, after collecting ransoms “running into millions of naira.”
Furthermore, the prosecution claimed the group made “millions of naira” from illegal mining, funds which were then “deployed to the procurement of large quantities of arms and ammunition.”
Ansaru, a breakaway faction of Boko Haram, has been linked to several major attacks across the country. The DSS said the two defendants, captured in intelligence-led operations between May and July 2025, masterminded various acts of terrorism.
The case has been adjourned until January 2026.
