By Ikechukwu Nnochiri
ABUJA— A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, yesterday, dismissed a fresh bail application by alleged Abuja-Kaduna train kidnap negotiator, Mr. Tukur Mamu, who is facing a 10-count terrorism charge.
Justice Mohammed Umar held that the defendant failed to establish why the court should review its two previous decisions that denied him bail pending the determination of the case.
However, it directed that the defendant should be granted access to quality health care by the Department of State Services, DSS, which currently has him in their custody.
While acknowledging the diligence of the prosecution in the handling of the case, the judge said that after a careful perusal of the defendant’s fresh application, he found no exceptional circumstance that could warrant the court to exercise its discretion in his favour.
He held that the discretionary powers of the court must be exercised judiciously and judicially, based on material facts placed before it.
Mamu had through his team of lawyers led by Mr. Johnson Usman, SAN, prayed the court to order his release from custody of the DSS to enable him to seek proper medical attention.
In a counter-affidavit that was filed by the prosecution counsel, Mr. David Kaswe, FG maintained that the defendant posed a flight risk, adding that the court had earlier declined to release him on bail.
Mamu was on March 21, 2023, arraigned before the court for allegedly aiding terrorist operations in the country.
The Kaduna-based Islamic scholar was further accused of collecting various sums of money in different currencies from families of victims of the train attack, on behalf of the Boko Haram terrorists sect.
FG told the court that investigations revealed that the defendant collected an aggregate sum of $420, 000 from families of the victims, as well as N21million from another set of families of the train attack
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