March 26, (THEWILL) — A suspect standing trial for alleged terrorism has admitted to espionage activities, telling the Federal High Court in Abuja that he was recruited and trained by individuals in Iran to spy on United States and Israeli interests in Nigeria, particularly their embassies.
The development came as Justice Emeka Nwite, on Wednesday, granted an accelerated hearing in the ongoing trial of three terror suspects, following an oral application by prosecuting counsel, Bello Abu, which was not opposed by defence lawyers.
THEWILL reports that the three defendants, including Haruna Ali Abbas, Ibrahim Hussaini Musa and Adam Suleiman, were arrested in Kano and Lagos States in 2013 over allegations of spying on American and Israeli embassies in Nigeria for certain individuals in Iran.
At the resumed hearing, a senior official of the Department of State Services (DSS), James Simon, who testified as the first prosecution witness (PW-1), told the court that Abbas confessed to being recruited for surveillance operations targeting the United States and Israel.
Simon disclosed that the first defendant not only admitted to his role in the operation but also explained how he recruited other Nigerians into the alleged espionage network.
According to the witness, Abbas’ statement revealed that Iranian military personnel trained some Nigerians, including the defendants, in activities linked to terrorism such as surveillance, counter-surveillance, intelligence gathering, recruitment, communication and basic weapons handling.
“The act of involvement of non-military personnel in surveillance, recruitment of persons and even weapon handling amounts to terrorism”, Simon said, emphasising the gravity of the actions described.
During cross-examination by Abbas’ counsel, Aliyu Yauri, the DSS operative maintained that even if the foreign trainers were not formally designated as a terrorist organisation, their actions in training civilians for such operations constituted acts of terrorism.
Reading from Abbas’ confessional statement, the witness said the defendant disclosed that their mission included gathering and transmitting intelligence on American and Israeli interests, including embassy locations and the names of associated companies.
The court also heard that Abbas was tasked with recruiting additional individuals for training abroad, suggesting an organised effort to expand the network.
Simon further revealed that the training programme in Iran reportedly began with intelligence-related activities before progressing to a brief session on firearms handling at a military facility.
Quoting from the statement, he said Abbas admitted: “My mission was to send news concerning the American embassy and Israeli embassy locations”, as well as provide open-source intelligence to his handlers.
Justice Nwite subsequently adjourned the matter until April 1 to continue the hearing.
Felix Ifijeh is a journalist with years of professional reporting experience. Known for his keen news sense, compelling storytelling and commitment to accurate, impactful reporting, he has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, engaging, and well-structured reports that resonate with readers. His work reflects deep newsroom experience and a commitment to accurate, impactful journalism.
