A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Wednesday ordered the remand of six defendants in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) after they were arraigned on a 13-count charge bordering on alleged terrorism.
The proceedings commenced at about 1:46 p.m., with the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, informing the court that the charge was ready and seeking permission for it to be read to the defendants.
The hearing experienced a brief interruption when the third defendant informed the court that his counsel was indisposed. In a related development, counsel for the sixth defendant stated that his client understood only Arabic and Hausa, prompting the court to adjourn the matter to arrange an interpreter.
When proceedings resumed at approximately 2:18 p.m., all six defendants entered pleas, denying the allegations and pleading not guilty to the charges.
Following the arraignment, the prosecution urged the court to remand the defendants into DSS custody and to schedule an accelerated hearing of the case. The application was largely unchallenged by defence counsel, although the lawyer representing the first defendant indicated plans to file a bail application.
In his ruling, the trial judge granted the request for an expedited hearing and ordered that the defendants be remanded
