There was a plot to kill the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Nigeria, H.E. Fuad Rajih, one of the three Lebanese accused of having connections to the Hezbolla Terrorist group and plotting to bomb the Israeli Embassy in Abuja Nigeria, has said.
The third accused in the highly interesting trial, Ahmad Roda, said in court on Friday that one Hassan Tahir, told him about the plot.
Roda, however, said he was not aware if the plot was carried out.
Tahir is on the run.
The other two accused in the trial are Mustapha Fawaz, who owns the popular Amigo Supermarket in Abuja, and Abdallah Thaini.
The accused were granted their desire to be moved to Kuje Prison on Friday also.
This followed their application that they were no longer comfortable in the detention facilities of the Directorate of State Security in Abuja.
Justice Ademola Adeniyi, who is superintending over the trial, granted the plea of the accused through their lawyer, Ahmed Raji.
The prosecution lawyer, Samuel Edege, did not oppose the application.
The accused complained that they were being made to go through interviews by foreigners, adding that this would not put them in the right frame of mind for their trial.
Justice Adeniyi, after acceding to the application of the accused to be moved to Kuje Prisons, adjourned hearing in the matter till Monday.
The defence will open evidence on Monday.
How the trial went
Defence Counsel, Ahmed Raji, commenced his defence on Friday as he presented the first witness, who is also the third accused person, Talal Ahmad Roda.
During cross-examination, the third accused person, Talal Ahmad Roda admitted as follows:
That he was aware of a plan by Abdulhassan Tahir, who is now at large, to assassinate the Saudi Arabia Ambassador to Nigeria but said he wouldn’t know if they actually carried it out.
That he had been trained by Hezbollah but added that the training was compulsory for all young men in 1994 because of Israel’s occupation of South Lebanon then.
That he left Nigeria in 2008 and returned in 2010 because “financially, I was broke. That was why I left”.
That one Isa once asked for information about Israeli companies in Nigeria but that he did not oblige him.
That he apologised to Nigerians in his statement because the DSS told him he was guilty and should state so in his statement.
That he helped one Isa In 1990 to carry weapons to No 3, Gaya Road in Kano and kept same in the masters bedroom
That he again went to the same house in 1995 to re-clean the weapons alongside Mr. Isa 1 and Isa 2 but said he did not see the weapons.
He only saw AK 47.
“That’s all I can remember.”
That he drove one Isa Musa to delivered three bags of weapons to an undisclosed location.
That in 2010, Isa requested for information about Israeli security company but “I refused to carry out.”
On why he did not inform security agencies about movement of weapons around the country all this while, Ahmad Roda said: “I am not allowed to mention anything to anybody.”
At this juncture, the Defence counsel filed an oral application that the three accused persons be moved away from the DSS custody to Kuje Prisons to enable them be in a good frame of minds as they come to court.
He told the court that the accused persons were being compelled to grant interviews to foreign people and will therefore not like to be returning to the DSS custody after giving evidence.
The Prosecution Counsel, Samuel Edege, raised no objection hence, Justice Ademola Adeniyi ruled:
“Having listened to the Defence Counsel to the accused persons and the and the Prosecution Counsel not objecting, it is, therefore, ordered that the accused persons be transferred to Kuje Prisons so that they can continue to give evidence.”
Justice Adeniyi adjourned further hearing till Monday when the second and third accused will give evidence.
The judge also ordered that they should go and pick their belongings from the DSS custody and move to the prison.