Six alleged kingpins of the Boko Haram sect in Niger state, Shuaibu Abubakar a.k.a Abu Quatada, Salisu Ahmed, Umar Babagana Umar, Mohammed Ali, Musa Adam and Umar Ibrahim, were yesterday, arraigned before a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja. They were specifically accused of killing 28 persons in cold blood between March and July this year. According to a 5-count criminal charge that was preferred against them by the federal government yesterday, the six accused persons, being in charge of a cell of the Boko Haram sect in Niger state, trained so many persons on the use of arms and ammunition, as well as, on the preparation, planting and detonation of improvised explosive devices for the purpose of terrorism. They allegedly committed acts of terrorism by detonating improvised explosive devices at various locations within the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Niger and Nasarawa states. The State Security Service, SSS, which recommended their prosecution, maintained that its undercover investigations, established the complicity of the accused persons in the bomb explosion that killed 16 persons at the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Suleja, Niger state, on the eve of the presidential election that held April 16, 2011. It however lamented that most devotees of the Boko Haram group who were hitherto under the tutelage of the accused persons are presently at large. Consequently, shortly after the accused persons took turns and pleaded not guilty to all the charges read to them through an interpreter, yesterday, the prosecuting counsel, Mr Thompson Olatigbe who is a Deputy Director in the Federal Ministry of Justice, urged the trial court to allow them to remain in the custody of the SSS pending the hearing and determination of the case. He pleaded that considering the position of the accused persons in the operation of the terrorist sect and the seriousness of the case, that the court should okay their continued stay at the headquarters of the SSS in Abuja. “My lord, this is a very serious case, it is our humble application that the accused persons be kept at the SSS headquarters in Abuja where we can guarantee their security. We have heard cases of prison breaks in Bauchi, where about 60 accused persons were released from detention by troops from the Boko Haram sect. “We are not saying that the prison is not safe, but my lord, in view of the seriousness of this case, we apply to retain custody of the accused persons”, he prayed. Before the trial judge in the matter, Justice Aliyu Bilkisu could decide on the oral application, one of the accused persons raised his hand and pleaded the court to ask the prosecution to allow them to engage a lawyer. Though the prosecuting counsel attempted to hush him by telling the court that a lawyer who ab-initio declared his intention to represent two of the accused persons in the matter, subsequently declined to appear in court yesterday on grounds that he was busy, the accused person however remained resolute and insisted on telling the court what really transpired. Speaking through an interpreter, the accused Boko Haram member told the trial judge that the inability of a lawyer he said they had contacted in Maiduguri, Bauchi state, to appear for them in court yesterday, was due to the failure of the prosecution to serve him with a hearing notice. He told the court that their lawyer expressed shock when they called him on phone shortly before the proceeding commenced and informed him about the arraignment. Consequently, trial Justice Aliyu, while remanding them in the custody of the SSS, warned that they should be granted unfettered access to any lawyer of their choice, even as she ordered the prosecution to furnish them with the proof of evidence filed against them in court to enable them to prepare their defence. According to the judge, “I have taken cognisance of the security concerns raised by the prosecution, therefore, for the meantime, I will remand them in your custody for now, but, they must be granted access to any lawyer of their choice. I also order that they should be accorded necessary facilities to prepare their defence and equally furnished with a summary of the evidence against them. “This case is accordingly adjourned till October 20 and 21 for trial.” According to the charge sheet obtained by Saturday Vanguard, the accused persons, “between June 4 and July 12, (both dates inclusive) at various locations in Suleja, Niger state, Azare, Nasarawa state and the FCT, did engage in an act of terrorism by encouraging through training persons now at large, the use of arms and ammunition, and the preparation, planting and detonation of improvised explosive devices for the purpose of terrorism and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 15 (2) of EFCC Act 2004 and punishable under the same section of the Act.” The prosecution further told the High Court that they were the persons that bombed a village, Dakna, in Bwari, Abuja, on May 23, an incident it said that resulted in the death of three Peace Officers as well as, detonated an improvised explosive device at a political rally in Suleja which resulted in the death of three persons too. If convicted, the offence they allegedly committed is punishable with life imprisonment. Meanwhile, investigations by Saturday Vanguard, also revealed that the six suspects were among members of the sect who were on September 13, docked before an Abuja Chief Magistrate court over sundry acts of terrorism. The trial High Court Judge had on Thursday declined to enter their plea after it was discovered that the prosecution failed to intimate the accused persons about the specific charges upon which they were to be arraigned. Justice Bilkisu had insisted that the tenets of justice and fair hearing entailed that they ought to be furnished with the charge to enable them to put up a defence before the court. She said it would be unconstitutional and an abuse of the suspects’ right, if the prosecution was allowed to arraign them over charges they were yet to see.