Court Orders SSS To Produce Lebanese Suspects
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Africcon Report: Court Orders SSS To Produce Lebanese Suspects
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From: Africcon Media – Nigeria
A federal high court in Abuja has ordered the State Security Service (SSS), the inspector-general of police (IGP) and the attorney-general of the federation (AGF) to produce the owner of Amigo Supermarket, Mustapha Fawaz, and two other Lebanese being held for their alleged involvement in the importation of arms cache for alleged terrorist activities.
The other suspects are Abdallah Tahini and Tala Ahmed Roda who are currently in the custody of security agents.
In his ruling on an ex-parte application by the applicants yesterday, Justice Adeniyi Ademola ordered the three defendants to produce the suspects in court on June 13.
The ex-parte application was argued by Chief Robert Clarke (SAN), leading Ahmed Raja (SAN) and 12 others.
The suspects had last week sued the three defendants, challenging their arrest and continued detention.
They also faulted the closure of the business premises by security agents, and demanded a public apology from the defendants to be published in three national dailies and N50billion compensation.
Upon listening to Chief Clarke’s argument, the judge directed as follows: “That an order is hereby made directing the respondents, particularly the 1st and 2nd respondents, to produce the applicants in court on June 13, 2013.
“That it is further ordered that the applicants’ Motion on Notice dated the 3rd day of June, 2013, already served on the respondents is fixed for June 13 for hearing.”
The applicants had sought four prayers, but the judge granted the lawyer’s request for his client’s production in court on the next adjourned date of June 13.
The ex-parte application reads: “Upon the Motion Ex-parte dated and filed on the 3rd day of June 2013, praying for the following:
“An interim order granting bail to the applicants forthwith conditionally or unconditionally, pending the determination of the substantive Motion on Notice in this matter.
“An Interim Order restraining the respondents from continued arrest, detention, harassment and intimidation of the applicants, their families, relations and/or business interests pending the determination of the substantive Motion on Notice in this matter.
“In the alternative, an Interim Order directing the respondents particularly the 1st and 2nd respondents to produce the applicants in court for the hearing of the Motion on Notice in this matter pending the hearing and determination of the said Motion on Notice.
“And such further order(s) as this honourable court may deem fit to make in the circumstances.”
A chief magistrate court in Karu District, Abuja, headed by Muyiwa Oyeyipo had last week granted the SSS an order to remand the suspects in custody, pending their proper arraignment.
The chief magistrate consequently adjourned the matter till June 19, 2013.
It was however not clear whether the SSS operatives have concluded investigation on the alleged involvement of the suspects in the discovered arms’ depot in Kano.
The large cache of dangerous weapons, according to information, was intended to attack Israeli and Western targets in Nigeria. It was found at a home in Kano belonging to a Lebanese national, Fauzi Fawad.
Security operatives had also, two weeks ago, discovered more dangerous weapons in a home in Kano where Lebanese nationals had stored the weapons intended to attack Israeli and Western targets in Nigeria.
In a statement, the Kano State Director of State Security Service (SSS), Bassey Etang, and a separate military statement described the compound as hosting a “terrorist cell” tied to the Lebanese Shiite movement, Hezbollah.
Journalists were brought to the compound in the upmarket Bompai neighbourhood of Kano and taken to a bunker dug beneath a bedroom where weapons had allegedly been stored.
“The weapons include anti-tank weapons, rocket-propelled guns, anti-tank (and) anti-personnel mines, among other dangerous weapons,” the military statement said.
It said three Lebanese nationals had been arrested in connection with the illegal arms cache, while a fourth suspect was at large.
“This is the handiwork of Hezbollah. What has just been discovered is the cell of Hezbollah and what you have seen here is a Hezbollah armoury,” Etang said.
“These weapons are meant to be used to target Israeli and Western interests in Nigeria,” he added.
According to the SSS chief, “investigations are still ongoing to determine if the Lebanese nationals are really connected to Boko Haram.”
The military statement said one suspect, Mustafa Fawaz, was arrested on May 16 and his “confession unveiled other members of the foreign terrorists network”.
A second suspect, Abdullah Tahini, was arrested several days later while trying to board a flight to Beirut from the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, according to the military.
The third detained Lebanese national, Talal Roda, was arrested at the Kano home on May 26, while Fauzi Fawad was identified as the suspect at large.
Fawaz is a co-owner of Amigo Supermarket as well as Wonderland Amusement Park in Abuja.
