The Department of State Services (DSS) has asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to admit statements made by three men accused of spying on American and Israeli interests in Nigeria for people linked to Iran.
The suspects, Haruna Ali Abbas, Ibrahim Hussaini Musa, and Adam Suleiman, were arrested in 2013 in Kano and Lagos and have been facing terrorism-related charges.
Abbas allegedly recruited young Nigerians, including Musa and Suleiman, for terrorism training in Iran.
Abbas is also accused of compiling a list of American and Israeli concerns in Lagos, including the United States Consular office, and sending them to one Abu Ali in Iran using coded emails.
The suspects were accused of carrying out surveillance on U.S. and Israeli embassies in Abuja, Kano, and Lagos in preparation for a terrorist attack .
The defendants objected to their confessional statements being used in evidence, claiming they did not make them voluntarily.
The court held a separate trial-within-trial to determine the admissibility of the statements.
The DSS counsel argued that the defendants’ claimed of being compelled to make the statements im was an afterthought and prayed the court to admit the statements in evidence.
Justice Emeka Nwite adjourned his ruling on the admissibility of the statements to a later date that would be communicated to the parties.
If the statements are admitted, the trial would proceed with the substantive case.
