DSS Seeks Court Admission of Statements in Iran Spying Case

The Department of State Services (DSS) has asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to admit statements allegedly made by three men accused of working with Iranian handlers to gather intelligence on American and Israeli interests in Nigeria.

The defendants — Haruna Ali Abbas, Ibrahim Hussaini Musa and Adam Suleiman — were arrested in Kano and Lagos in 2013 and are facing terrorism-related charges.

During the proceedings on Wednesday, the accused men objected to the admissibility of their extra-judicial statements, insisting they were obtained under duress. This challenge led the court to conduct a trial-within-a-trial.

After the adoption of final written addresses, Justice Emeka Nwite announced that his ruling would be delivered on a date to be communicated to the parties.

Prosecuting counsel, Bello Abu, urged the court to admit the statements, maintaining that the evidence clearly showed the defendants spoke freely.

He told the court: “The evidence before the court showed the defendants gave their statements voluntarily,” dismissing their claim of coercion as “an afterthought.”

Abu further asked the court to proceed with the substantive trial once the statements are admitted.