•Tukur Mamu
An operative of the Department of State Services yesterday told the Federal High Court in Abuja that alleged terrorist negotiator, Tukur Mamu, bought cars and sponsored foreign trips for himself and family members after allegedly helping bandits to negotiate ransoms and got a share.
Testifying behind a screen, the sixth prosecution witness said Mamu started living above his means after he allegedly received proceeds from the Abuja–Kaduna train attack negotiations, reports The PUNCH.
Under examination-in-chief led by the DSS counsel, David Kaswe, the witness told the open court, “During the cause of the negotiations the defendant’s lifestyle suddenly changed and he was living way above his means”.
Under cross-examination by the defence counsel, Johnson Usman (SAN), the witness detailed the alleged lifestyle change, stating that Mamu travelled with four family members he sponsored to Egypt, where he was arrested, and also bought two cars during the negotiation period.
Usman had asked, “You talked about the lifestyle of the defendant changing as one of your findings. Can you specifically tell the court those lifestyles you noticed changed?”
Responding, the witness said, “The defendant was arrested in company of four of his family members whom he sponsored on a trip. The defendant also bought two cars during the period of the negotiations.”
The defence, however, argued that the witness did not know the defendant or his net worth prior to the train attack incident.
The defence said, “Confirm to My Lord that before 28 March 2022 you have never had a personal encounter with the defendant.”
In response, the witness said, “Yes, My Lord.”
The defence counsel added, “And since you did not have personal encounter with the defendant, I will be correct to say that you did not know the defendant’s net worth.”
In response, the witness said, “That’s correct.”
The defence counsel further argued that Mamu had three cars: a Toyota Venza, a Mercedes Benz E350, and a Hyundai salon car. Of the three, he said the defendant owned two before the train attack.
The defence counsel also argued that Mamu had been travelling abroad with family members for Hajj, Umrah and others before the train attack incident in 2022.
Mamu is currently standing trial for alleged terrorism financing.
He was arrested by Egyptian authorities on September 7, 2022, at Cairo International Airport on suspicion of supporting Boko Haram before being repatriated to Nigeria.
Prosecutors allege he inserted himself into negotiations between families of abducted train passengers and the terrorist group responsible, allegedly to secure personal financial gain.
The federal government further claims he was selected by the attackers to coordinate ransom discussions and that he collected ransom payments on their behalf.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, PW-6 told the court that Mamu was offered N50m by the leader of the terrorist group as a personal reward from ransom proceeds.
He said an audio recording extracted from the defendant’s devices captured conversations between Mamu and key members of the group.
One of the audio clips played in court reportedly contained the voice of a man identified as “Shugaba,” the terrorist leader.
In the recording, Shugaba allegedly praised Mamu’s efforts and instructed him to “remove N50m” for himself from a ransom he was expected to deliver on behalf of the terrorists.
The witness said multiple voices were identified during the investigation, all obtained from Mamu’s Samsung tablet and two mobile phones seized following his arrest in Egypt.
Continuing his testimony on Wednesday, PW-6 said Mamu was never authorised by the federal government to negotiate with terrorists over the 2022 Abuja–Kaduna train attack.
He added that the defendant encouraged terrorists to discuss ransom payments with victims, collected money on their behalf, confirmed amounts, and “facilitated payments illegally.”
The witness also told the court that Mamu sidelined the Chief of Defence Staff Committee set up to secure the release of abducted passengers.
He alleged that the defendant benefited financially from the negotiations, possessed firearms unlawfully, and even provided terrorists with information on how to create a website.
He further alleged that a large amount of money recovered from Mamu’s Kaduna residence exceeded legal limits and that the defendant’s lifestyle “changed significantly” during the negotiation period.
Quoting directly from his findings, PW-6 told the court: “At the conclusion of the investigation it was found that the defendant was not part of the CDS committee and that the defendant was not mandated by government to engage in any form of negotiation with the terrorist.
“That he acted on his own for his benefit. That the defendant followed the terrorist to discuss ransom payment with the victims of the terrorist attack. That the defendant benefitted from ransome paid by families of the victims. That the defendant collected ransome on behalf of the terrorist, confirmed the amount and facilitated delivery. That the defendant was in possession of illegal fire arm. That the defendant provided information to the terrorist on how to create a website. That the cash exhibit of monies recovered from the defendant was in excess of the threshold permitted by law. That during the cause of the negotiations the defendant’s lifestyle suddenly changed and he was living way above his means.”
The defence counsel, Usman, however, challenged several aspects of the DSS investigation.
He questioned whether the DSS, which has operatives at all Nigerian airports, verified how Mamu and his family travelled to Egypt.
The witness said he was not aware of their travel details but confirmed that the defendant’s passport was in DSS custody.
When asked whether he was a diligent investigator, the witness insisted he was, though he admitted he did not open the defendant’s passport during the investigation, saying it was unnecessary because he worked with a preliminary report.
The defence also raised concerns about the negotiation process.
Usman suggested that terrorists asked victims to propose negotiators, and the victims proposed several names.
The witness agreed that names were introduced by victims but maintained that only Mamu agreed to engage with the terrorists and stressed again that he was not part of the CDS committee.
Usman further questioned the timeline of hostage releases, noting that only one hostage had been freed before Mamu’s involvement.
Justice Mohammed Garba Umar adjourned for further cross-examination of the witness to January 29, 2026.
