3 months ago
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The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Wednesday, granted an application by the Defence Intelligence Agency to detain an Assistant Superintendent of Police, A. A, Babangida, and 19 others over their alleged involvement in banditry, kidnapping and terror activities.
Justice Peter Lifu, while ruling on an ex parte application marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1146/2024 filed by the DIA, approved the detention of the suspects for 30 days.
The agency had told the judge that the detention order was to enable it to thoroughly investigate the allegation against the suspects.
The other suspects are Usman Idris, Abu Safiyanu, Alhassan Idris, Sahada Ishaka, Abubakar Ibrahim Sani Bello, Yahaya Abdullahi, Haruna Salisu and Mohammed Muazu.
The rest are Nura Idris, Manu Mohammed, Umar Lamu, Abubakar Mandara, Suleiman Mohammed, Alhaji Madayi, Amodu Oghewe and Uzoma Aghaoyibo.
ASP Babangida was alleged to have been helping the Boko Haram, bandits and ISWAP members in carrying out terror activities in some parts of the country.
He was arrested in June following an intelligence report received by the DIA and has since been in the custody of the agency.
DIA’s counsel, S.A, Aminu, while arguing the ex parte application, told the court that the agency “intends to carry out critical investigation into the unlawful activities of Babangida and others before handing them over to the Attorney General of the Federation for prosecution”.
The legal practitioner told the court that the involvement of the suspects in terror activities was complex and the bomb experts for the gang had just been apprehended based on information from detainees.
On this note, she requested the permission of the court to detain the suspects for 90 days.
The agency, in a 21-paragraph affidavit, explained how they obtained information that led to the arrest of the suspects in various locations and at different times.
After going through the documentary exhibits placed before the court, Justice Lifu declined to grant the 90 days requested by DIA on the grounds that the suspects had been in custody for three months.
He held that according to the Constitution, the defendants are presumed innocent until proven otherwise.
He, however, ordered the agency to “detain the suspects till the conclusion of investigation”.
Justice Lifu also ordered that the DIA should do everything within its powers and within the ambit of the law to complete its investigation into the allegations against the suspects so as not to run foul of the law.
