Boko Haram: Ndume Faces Fresh Charges

06 Dec 2011

Senator Muhamed Ali Ndume

By  Adebiyi Adedapo      

Senator Representing Borno South senatorial district, Muhhamed Alli Ndume, who is currently facing charges over his alleged involvement with the Boko Haram now have fresh charges against him.

Ndume is now being charged before a Federal High Court, on a four-count charge bordering on alleged disclosure of classified information to a terrorist spokesman of Boko Haram, thereby committing an offence contrary to section 3 (b) of the Terrorism Prevention Act 2011.

Also, there was a major setback in the bail application filed Ndume on the basis of his health challenges.

At the resumption of hearing Monday , prosecuting counsel, Mr. Cliff Osagie, informed the court that fresh charges similar to the one before the magistrate court had been filed against Ndume at the Federal High Court, therefore applied to withdraw the First Information Report (FIR)  upon which senator was arraigned before the magistrate court.

Chief Magistrate Oyebola Oyewumi, struck out the charges, following the application for discontinuance of the case by the prosecutor.

However the embattled senator has approached a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja seeking an order of the court to admit his bail application pending the hearing and determination of the charges filed against him.

In a motion on notice filed by his Lawyer Mr. Rrickey Tarfa, Ndume promised not to interfere with investigations if granted bail.

He also promised to comply with whatever conditions the court may wish to impose on him.

Tarfa stated that his client has some medical conditions which require to be managed constantly by his personal physician.

The senator is also being accused of providing logistics and supplying telephone numbers of some public officers including the Attorney-General of the federation to Ali Sanda Umar Konduga, a terrorist spokesman for the Boko Haram sect.

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the fresh charges and the bail application filed.

Oyewumi in her ruling, struck out the case against Ndume before the magistrate court, but restated that the trial of the spokesman of konduga who is awaiting sentencing, having being convicted on 22nd November2011 will still go on as scheduled.

It would be recalled that Ndume was arraigned before the court over allegations of disclosing classified information to Boko Haram.
The embattled lawmaker has spent 14 days in the custody of the States Security Service (SSS).

Oyewumi had on November 22, remanded him in custody, shortly after he pleaded not guilty to a 2-count criminal charge preferred against him and a self confessed spokesman of the Boko Haram sect, Ali Sanda Umar Konduga (a.ka Al-Zawahiri).

Specifically, the State Security Service (SSS), alleged that Ndume breached public trust by disclosing classified information to the sect, adding that he was the brain behind threat massages that were sent to top public officers in the country, including the Attorney General of the Federation.

The security agency had in the FIR entered before the court, insisted that Ndume supplied sensitive information’s to members of the Boko Haram sect.

“On diverse dates between September 15 and November 3, at Abuja and Maiduguri in Borno state, Mohammed Ali Ndume and Ali Sanda Umar Konduga (a.ka Al-Zawahiri) spokesman of the Boko Haram sect, did conspire to commit felony to wit: breach of official trust in that Mohammed Ali Ndume, disclosed classified information to persons to whom he ought not in the public interest to so disclose.”

It further alleged that the accused persons did intimidate by anonymous communication, some senior public officials including the Attorney General of the Federation, and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 79, 98 and 398 of the Penal Code and punishable under section 99(b) and 398 of the same code.”

Though Ndume denied his alleged connivance with the sect, the 2nd accused person, Konduga, admitted guilt and prayed the magistrate for leniency, saying he has repented of his evil deeds.

Konduga, who addressed the court through an interpreter, maintained that whilst he acted as the spokesman of the sect, the 1st accused, Ndume, not only furnished them with classified information, but also gave them the phone numbers of highly placed persons who he said they often called sent threat text messages to.

He confessed that the last batch of text messages he sent to government officials in his capacity as the Boko Haram spokesman before he was subsequently stripped off the rank over suspicion that he was double-crossing the sect, included threat messages to the Governors of Niger and Nasarawa states, to former Minister of Works, Sanusi Daggash, to the chairman of the Borno State Election Tribunal, Justice Sabo and Ambassador Dalhatu Tafida.

Premise on his confession, presiding Magistrate Oyewumi, convicted Konduga on all the two-count charge against him, even though she deferred sentencing him till the final determination of the charge against Ndume.

Ndume further argued that as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, it would be absurd for anyone to contemplate that he could jump bail if allowed on bail.

SOURCE: ThisDay Newspaper, 6 December 2011. http://www.thisdaylive.com/