Ex-Senate Leader Denies Boko Haram Affiliation

Ex-Senate Leader Denies Supporting B’Haram As FG Insists

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Tuesday attended to the no-case submission filed by a former Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, seeking an order terminating his trial on terrorism charges preferred against him by the Federal Government.

The former senate leader, through his no-case submission, is seeking an order discharging him of the charges, including the allegation of supporting Boko Haram, and failure to disclose material information arising from his alleged relationship with the sect.

His no-case submission was anchored on the grounds that the prosecution had failed to lead evidence linking him to the alleged offences.

The no-case submission was further anchored on section 303 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, among other provisions of the same law.

While denying the charges on Tuesday, Ndume broke the silence on how he came in contact with the sect and how he disclosed the necessary information about his interaction with the sect to the then Vice-President and the then Director General of the Department of State Services.

But the Federal Government insisted on Tuesday that it had led sufficient evidence showing Ndume’s complicity in the alleged offences, thus the need for him to offer some explanations.

Meanwhile, after much deliberation and arguments, the presiding judge, Justice Gabriel Kolawole fixed 2pm on July 4 for ruling on the matter.

On December 12, 2011, the Nigerian government had arraigned Ndume on four counts of terrorism.

The prosecution had alleged a link between Ndume and a suspected member of Boko Haram, Ali Konduga, who had since been convicted and sentenced on terrorism charges.

Ndume was accused of, among others, sponsoring the Boko Haram sect, and failing to disclose the phone number of Konduga, which was alleged to be in his (Ndume’s) possession.

He had pleaded not guilty to all the charges.