The Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned the commencement of the terrorism trial of two Ansaru leaders, Mahmud Usman and Abubakar Abba, fixing March 16 for the Department of State Services (DSS) to open its case.
The trial, which was scheduled to begin with the prosecution’s case, could not proceed after, Bala Dakum, defence counsel told the court that he had been unable to meet with the defendants to prepare their defence.
Dakum informed the trial judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, that he had not had access to the suspects since taking over the case in October 2025.
When the matter was called, DSS counsel, David Kaswe, told the court that the prosecution was ready to proceed and that its first witness, who was to testify under protection, was present. Dakum, however, objected, saying he had only been given the charge sheet and had not met the defendants.
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“The defendants are new to me and all I have is the charge,” he said, adding that the trial should not proceed unless he was granted access to them.
He requested that they be transferred to a correctional centre to enable proper consultation.
In his response, Kaswe said the defendants were being held at the DSS headquarters, where renovation works were ongoing. He explained that access to detainees had been restricted due to the upgrade.
Justice Nwite expressed concern over the delay, noting that the case had been fixed for trial to commence.
He said he had made arrangements to sit despite being on vacation and movement restrictions due to the Armed Forces Remembrance Day.
“It appears that the effort made to hear this matter today has come to nothing,” the judge said.
Kaswe apologised and asked the court for an adjournment to allow the renovation to be completed. The judge then asked a senior DSS officer in court how long the upgrade would last.
The officer said he could not give a definite timeline but indicated that the work might be completed by March or April, as it was being carried out with international partners.
Kaswe assured the court that if the defence was still unable to access the defendants before the next hearing, the prosecution would not oppose an order transferring them to a correctional centre.
He also noted that Usman, the first defendant, had already been convicted on one of the charges.
Dakum maintained that the defendants were entitled to access to their lawyer and family members, particularly Usman, whom he said has 19 children.
After considering the submissions, Justice Nwite adjourned the case until March 16 for the commencement of trial.
Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a or Abbas Mukhtar, was earlier sentenced on September 11 to 15 years’ imprisonment for illegal mining after pleading guilty to one of the 32 counts against him and Abba.
The offence was said to have been committed between 2015 and 2025 and involved the unlawful mining of minerals without authorisation.
The Federal Government said the offence contravened Section 8(b) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004. While Usman pleaded guilty to that count, Abba, also known as Isah Adam or Mahmud Al-Nigeri, pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
The two men were arraigned before Justice Nwite on a 32-count charge bordering on terrorism and related offences.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/464/2025, was filed on September 4 by the Director of Public Prosecutions on behalf of the Attorney-General of the Federation.
The defendants are accused of supporting terrorism, leading the proscribed Ansaru group, receiving weapons and combat training, and participating in the 2022 attack on the Nigerian Army’s Wawa Cantonment.
They were remanded in DSS custody in Abuja after pleading not guilty.
