The trial of two alleged senior members of Ansaru, a terrorist group linked to al-Qaeda, was stalled on Thursday at the Federal High Court in Abuja after the defence lawyer said he could not meet his clients in detention.
The case could not proceed when defence counsel, Bala Dakum, informed Justice Emeka Nwite that the Department of State Security (DSS) had denied him access to the two defendants, Mahmud Usman and Abubakar Abba.
The men were arrested by Nigerian security forces in August 2025 and are facing 32 terrorism-related charges, including allegations of illegal mining and violent attacks carried out between 2013 and 2015.
They were arraigned in September 2025.
At the earlier arraignment, Mr Usman pleaded guilty to one count and was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment. His co-defendant, Mr Abba, pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Speaking in court on Thursday, Mr Dakum said the matter could not proceed because he had not been allowed to see the defendants since taking over the case in October 2025.
He explained that the defendants were unfamiliar to him and that he had only reviewed the charges against them. He asked the court to order their transfer to a correctional centre to allow proper access.
“If they want us to proceed, I just have to have access to them or they should be taken to any of the prison facilities,” Mr Dakum said.
The prosecution lawyer, David Kaswe, told the court that he was ready to call his first witness but noted that access to detainees at the DSS headquarters was limited due to an ongoing facility upgrade.
According to him, the renovation was aimed at meeting global best practices, and access to detainees would remain difficult until the work was completed. He apologised to the court and requested an adjournment.
Justice Nwite, however, expressed frustration over the delay, noting that the case had been fixed for trial and that he had set aside other engagements to preside over it.
“It is as if all the efforts I am making are going nowhere. I should be resting by now because during the period of Christmas and New Year celebrations, I was here,” the judge said.
When asked how long the upgrade would take, an DSS officer told the court that the work might be completed by March or April, but could not give a definite date.
Mr Kaswe later informed the court that the prosecution would agree to transfer the defendants to a correctional centre if their lawyers were still unable to access them before the next hearing.
Mr Dakum insisted that the defendants should be allowed access to their lawyer and family members, noting that Mr Usman has 19 children.
The judge adjourned the case until March 16 for the commencement of the trial.
