Bolaji Adelaja
The Federal High Court in Abuja has slated July 22, 2025, to hear a fresh bail application filed by Mr. Tukur Mamu, the alleged negotiator in the 2022 Abuja-Kaduna train kidnapping case, who is currently facing a 10-count terrorism charge.
Mr. Mamu, through his legal team led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Johnson Usman, is urging the court to order his release from the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) to enable him seek urgent medical treatment. According to the defence, Mamu’s health has deteriorated significantly while in detention and he requires immediate surgical intervention.
However, the Federal Government, represented by prosecuting counsel Mr. David Kaswe, has opposed the application. The prosecution argued that Mamu is a flight risk, noting that the same court had previously denied him bail. The government further asserted that the DSS medical facility is sufficient for the defendant’s health needs.
The presiding judge, Justice Muhammed Umar, adjourned the case to allow both parties to argue their applications before the court makes a ruling.
The Federal Government had arraigned Mamu on March 21, 2023, accusing him of aiding terrorist operations by acting as a go-between for families of train kidnap victims and Boko Haram operatives. According to the charges, he allegedly collected ransom payments totalling $420,000 and ₦21 million, which were handed over to the terrorist group.
Further allegations include the concealment of terror-related funds in his Kaduna residence, voice note exchanges with a Boko Haram spokesperson, and breaches of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Mamu, a Kaduna-based Islamic scholar and publisher of Desert Herald, was arrested by INTERPOL in Cairo, Egypt, on September 6, 2022, while en route to Saudi Arabia for the lesser Hajj. He was subsequently repatriated to Nigeria and detained by the DSS.
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An affidavit by DSS operative Hamza Pandogari detailed how Mamu allegedly used the guise of journalism to aid terrorist groups. It claimed he was en route to a clandestine meeting with top terrorist commanders when intercepted. Following his return, DSS executed a search warrant at his Kaduna home and office, recovering items allegedly linked to terrorism financing.
Among the 34 items recovered were various foreign currencies, two packs of pump action cartridges, multiple ATM cards and cheque books, laptops, handsets, three international passports, a firearm licence, and military uniforms belonging to the Nigerian Army and Navy.
Despite these allegations, Mamu pleaded not guilty at his arraignment and was denied bail on April 27, 2023. A subsequent request to be moved from DSS custody to Kuje prison was also declined.
He has since accused the DSS of ignoring a court order made on October 31, 2023, allowing him access to his personal physician. According to the defence, only one medical visit has been permitted since his detention, during which a report recommending further tests and surgery was submitted.
The court will rule on the new bail application after hearing from both parties on July 22.