ABOUT two years after the suicide bombing attack on the Headquarters of the United Nations (UN) in Abuja, the Federal Government Tuesday arraigned before the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, four persons for alleged complicity in the bombings.
The suspects – Mr. Salisu Mohammed, Inusa Mukailu, Danzumi Haruna and Abdulsalami Adamu – were slammed with four count-charge, wherein they allegedly agreed amongs themselves and with others still at large, on or about August 20, 2011, to do an illegal act which resulted in the death of 23 persons, thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 96 (a) of the Penal Code Law.
They were also alleged to have knowingly assisted and facilitated the activities of persons engaged in an act of terrorism and thereby committed a punishable offence.
At the trial, the prosecutor, Mrs. I. Ideva, a Chief State Counsel, applied that the charges be read to the suspected terrorists but the suspects claimed that they do not understand English Language.
One of the court’s interpreters had to be invited to interpret proceedings to the suspects in Hausa language before their pleas were taken. All the accused persons pleaded not guilty to the entire counts of the charge.
The bomb explosion, which caused massive devastation to the building’s lower floors, also destroyed offices of 26 humanitarian and development agencies of the UN, which are housed there.
More than 73 persons, including members of staff of the UN, visitors and members of staff of private businesses operating from the building received serious injuries while scores of others lost their lives.
In September 2011, Nigeria’s State Security Service (SSS) pointed accusing fingers to one Mr. Astrid Mantuk as the mastermind of the attack and offered a huge sum of money as reward to anyone with useful information that will lead to his arrest.