The Department of State Services will on Thursday, September 17, re-arraign five men accused of abducting pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State on May 15.
The suspects are also accused of complicity in the subsequent killing of two of the victims.
They will face a six-count amended charge filed by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, on behalf of the Federal Government.
The defendants are Mahmud Muhammad, also known as Abu Bara’a and Abbas Mukhtar; Abubakar Abbas, also known as Isah Adam and Mallam Mahmuda Al-Nigeri; Abdulrazak Umar, also known as Abu Khalifa and Abu Khalid; Yunusa Musa, also known as Abu Yunusa Bin Musa; and Shamsu Adamu Sani, also known as Abu Itisar.
The Federal Government alleges that the defendants belong to Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan, commonly known as Ansaru, a terrorist organisation.
The re-arraignment was initially scheduled for Wednesday, September 16, but could not proceed after the first defendant, Muhammad, objected to the lawyers assigned to represent the group.
A Deputy Director of the Legal Aid Council, Akilaluyel Shettima, had announced his appearance for all five defendants before the court.
Muhammad, speaking on behalf of the others, told the trial judge, Justice Salim Ibrahim, that they had previously been represented by a lawyer, Bala Dakum, and wanted him to continue handling their defence.
The objection triggered a dispute over the defendants’ constitutional right to choose their counsel.
Oyedepo urged the court to respect that right, stressing that the DSS was a law-abiding institution committed to justice rather than the persecution of the accused.
Justice Ibrahim subsequently adjourned the re-arraignment until Thursday, September 17.
The judge directed the defendants to contact their preferred lawyer and ensure his appearance in court.
He also ordered the DSS to grant the defendants access to the lawyer to allow them to prepare adequately for their defence.
The five men remain defendants in the case, and the allegations against them have not been proved in court.
