Kaduna train attack: How Mamu allegedly betrayed FG’s c’ttee – DSS operative

A prosecution witness has told the Federal High Court in Abuja how alleged terrorist negotiator, Tukur Mamu, frustrated negotiations for the release of passengers abducted during the 2022 Abuja–Kaduna train attack. Mamu is facing charges bordering on terrorism offences, including receiving ransoms from families of victims of the Kaduna train attack of March 28, 2022, […]

A prosecution witness has told the Federal High Court in Abuja how alleged terrorist negotiator, Tukur Mamu, frustrated negotiations for the release of passengers abducted during the 2022 Abuja–Kaduna train attack.

Mamu is facing charges bordering on terrorism offences, including receiving ransoms from families of victims of the Kaduna train attack of March 28, 2022, dealing with terrorist funds, obstructing the activities of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) committee to negotiate with those who kept hostage victims of the train attack, exchanging voice notes with Boko Haram spokesperson, among others.

At the resumed hearing on Wednesday, the presiding judge, Justice Muhammed Umar, refused the third bail application by Mamu.

The witness, who is an operative of the Department of State Services (DSS), testified as the 6th prosecution witness behind the screen.

The witness told the court that Mamu’s move to position himself as the sole interlocutor between the government’s Chief of Defence Staff Action Committee and the terrorist hostage-takers made it difficult to release the initial 30 to 32 hostages on the same day.

“So, being the spokesperson between the terrorists and the government side, the defendant probably communicated a different thing to the terrorists because on the scheduled day, the committee mobilised vehicles to convey about 30 to 32 hostages, but on reaching there, only 11 hostages were brought out,” the witness said.

“The committee felt betrayed and felt that the defendant undermined the committee’s effort by taking a decision unilaterally, and the committee wrote an interim report to the government and a copy which was also avail to us (DSS),” he added.

He said the government had initially established different fronts of negotiation with the terrorists, which he rejected and pushed to be the sole negotiator, including coordinating the payment of N100m for hostages, whose family members could raise it, which they later increased to N1 billion.

Following the testimony, prosecution counsel, David Kaswe, applied to tendered some materials exhibits, without objection from the defence counsel, Johnson Usman (SAN), who said he will file any objection at the stage of address.

The items include: the generated photocopies of the photos of the newspaper publication, two photos of the rings and a stapled note, in addition to the certificate of compliance, $300, 000; N25, 690, 500; 150,840 Egyptian Pounds; 1000 India Rupee; 115 UAE Dirham; 2 Qatari Riyal and 16 coins of different currencies.

Others items tendered and admitted as exhibits were pump action rifle called Delta Magnum and two packs of the cartridges; licence for the rifle; two Oppo and Samsung phones and a Samsung tablet; and seven vehicles such as Toyota Camry, metallic gold colour; Honda CRV, metallic blue colour; Mercedes Benz E350, white colour; Lexus 250, white colour; Hyundai Equus; a Peugeot 508, black colour, and Peugeot 5008, maroon colour.

Justice Umar had adjourned the matter to November 25 and 26.