A
senior Army officer whose team apprehended some of the alleged masterminds of
the explosion that rocked office of the Independent National Electoral
Commission, INEC, in Suleja, Niger State, prior to the April 16, 2011
presidential election, Wednesday, narrated before a Federal High Court in
Abuja, how the suspects were nabbed while en-route Kaduna to bomb an event he
said was attended by the Vice President Namadi Sambo.
The witness whose identity was masked by
the Federal Government which is prosecuting six of the alleged members of the
dreaded Boko Haram sect, told the court that after some of the suspects, who he
said hid inside a trailer covered with tarpaulin, were caught, it was
discovered that their sponsor had promised each of them an inheritance of 72
virgins in paradise.
The army officer, who mounted the witness
box, said two months after the Suleja bomb blast, his team, on July 27, 2011,
mounted a road block at Gummel Junction at Kachia, Kaduna, “when we saw a big
trailer coming and we saw another car behind the trailer. Surprisingly,
immediately we asked the trailer driver to remove his tarpaulin, two of the
suspects jumped out.
“The second car also had another suspect
who was carrying explosives which we immediately impounded. We also seized four
handsets and N26,000 from him. While interrogating them, they said they were
coming from Suleja.”
The witness told the court that upon close
scrutiny of the seized phones, the team discovered two striking text messages,
he said, indicted the accused persons to acts of terrorism.
He said the third suspect was holding a very
long brown envelope containing Cortex wires, industrial powder and other
ingredients for the manufacturing of Improvised Explosive Devices, IEDs, adding
that all the materials were handed over to the State Security Service, SSS, in
Kaduna.
The text messages
“Before I handed over the phones to the SSS, I got out two text messages which I will like to read to the court,” the witness added.
“Before I handed over the phones to the SSS, I got out two text messages which I will like to read to the court,” the witness added.
Sequel to approval by presiding Justice
Bilkisu Aliyu, the said text messages were read in the open court, yesterday.
One of the said messages read: “Do a deed
which Allah by his grace and mercy save you from the punishment of the grave
and a dangerous bridge with the speed of light and make you pass Serud (sic).
Save you from the greatest fear and hell fire. 70 members of your family will
marry you 72 virgins in paradise; give you a crown of respect which even the
prophet will be impressed with; I say by the Rasud, ‘keep your soul in the
green birds of paradise and you wish to return to the world and die as he died
because of the good blessings and reward you encounter after such a noble last
deed. I pray for such a noble deed.”
Meantime, the second text message read:
“Breast swelling, cap Clous 500 QDS, Tap flag,” which the witness said could be
a code for arrangement and detonation of explosives.
He told the court that in the other phones,
he saw pictures of the late leader of the Boko Haram sect, Yusuf Mohammed, and
another picture of three blind-folded men carrying AK-47 riffles.