Media Trust director arraigned for terrorism
A Director of Media Trust Ltd., publishers of Daily Trust Newspaper, Muhammad Damagun, was arraigned on a three-count charge of terrorism.
Damagun, 50, pleaded not guilty to the charge and was admitted on bail by Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako who presided over the trial.
Damagun, who was docked before a Federal High Court in Abuja, was alleged to belong to an illegal terrorist organisation known as ``The Nigerian Taliban''.
Charged under the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Act 2004, the accused was alleged to have willfully received 300,000 dollars from an international terrorist organisation, Alqaeda World Network, Sudan.
The money, allegedly meant for use in the execution of acts of terrorism, was said to have been deposited with Habibsons Bank Ltd, Windson House, London in Account Number, 21067695.
Damagun was alleged to have recruited, sponsored and ferried some members of the militia arm of the Nigerian Taliban to receive combat training on terrorism from a terrorist network known as Ummul Qurah Islamic Camp at Mauritania.
The members allegedly sponsored for training between August and September 2003 in Kano, included Nura Umar, Abdul Hamza Mohammed Ibrahim and fourteen others.
The accused was also alleged to have given various sums of money, a ten seater bus with registration number KADUNA AN 379 ANC and 30 public address system to an operative of the Nigerian Taliban, Muhammed Yusuf.
The items were allegedly given to facilitate the spread of extremism and various acts and techniques on terrorism.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the accused who appeared in a white flowing regalia calmly took a plea of not guilty when the registrar read the charges to him.
Prosecution counsel, Abdullahi Mikailu asked that the case be adjourned for further mention to enable them complete investigation in the case.
He requested for three weeks and asked the court to remand the accused in the custody of the State Security Services (SSS).
Counsel to the accused, Abbas Ibrahim, said that the prosecution were not serious about the case, adding that it was wrong to have detained and arraigned the accused when investigation had not been concluded.
He contended that the procedure contravened the provision of Section 19 of the EFCC Act under which the accused was charged and asked the court to strike out the charge in its entirety.
Alternatively, Ibrahim asked the court to admit the accused on bail until the time the prosecution would be ready for trial.
He said that his client was detained for 12 days and granted bail by the SSS on December 29.
He argued that the accused was entitled to bail because he voluntarily came to court from his house for trial.
Justice Murtala-Nyako granted bail to the accused for N1 million and two sureties in like sum.
The sureties she directed should be owners of landed property in Abuja and the Certificates of Occupancy she said must be in the custody of the court.
The judge ordered the accused to deposit his travelling documents with the court and that he should report daily to the SSS.
She adjourned the case till February 24 for definite trial and directed the prosecution to prepare for trial on that day, otherwise she would strike out the case.
NAN reports that the trial was witnessed by the Chairman of Media Trust, Abdulmumuni Bello, the Managing Director, Kabir Yusuf and other directors of the organisation.