The Federal High Court in Ibadan has admitted into evidence the extra-judicial statements of four defendants standing trial over alleged terrorism-related offences, dismissing their claims that the confessional statements were obtained under duress.
Justice Nkeonye Maha delivered the ruling on Tuesday in the trial involving three officials of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and a woman, Asmau Omar.
The Department of State Services (DSS) is prosecuting the defendants on a 15-count amended charge bordering on conspiracy, illegal arms dealing, and aiding and abetting terrorism.
The other defendants are NSCDC personnel Olamide Okesola, Emmanuel Olatunji and Adeleke Adewale.
The four defendants, who pleaded not guilty when the trial commenced in 2023, had challenged the admissibility of their alleged extra-judicial statements, insisting they were extracted through torture, intimidation and other forms of duress by DSS operatives.
In four separate rulings, Justice Maha said she carefully watched and re-watched the video recordings of each defendant making the statements, both in open court and in her chambers, to ensure the accuracy of her decision.
The judge held that the defendants failed to provide credible evidence to support their allegations that the statements were involuntary.
She described their objections as embellishments intended to strengthen their defence and ruled that they had not presented sufficient grounds to warrant rejecting the evidence.
“Therefore, the extra-judicial statements tendered against each of the defendants by the prosecution are admitted in evidence,” Justice Maha ruled.
Following the ruling, the court adjourned the case to July 6 and July 7 for the continuation of trial.
During the trial-within-trial, each of the defendants had told the court that the statements were not made voluntarily, alleging that DSS operatives subjected them to torture and intimidation before obtaining the confessional statements.
