•Tukur Mamu
The Federal High Court in Abuja heard how alleged terrorists’ negotiator, Tukur Mamu, was purportedly offered N50 million by the leader of a terrorist group as a personal reward from ransom funds.
A Department of State Services (DSS) official, testifying as the sixth prosecution witness in Mamu’s terrorism trial, told the court that audio recordings extracted from the defendant’s mobile devices captured conversations between Mamu and key members of the group.
According to the witness, one of the audio clips played in court contained the voice of a man identified as Shugaba, the leader of the terrorist group.
In the recording, Shugaba reportedly praised Mamu’s efforts and instructed him to “remove N50 million” for his personal use from a ransom he was expected to deliver on behalf of the terrorists.
The DSS official said he identified multiple voices during the investigation, all obtained from Mamu’s Samsung tablet and two mobile phones seized after his arrest in Egypt.
Mamu was detained by Egyptian authorities on September 7, 2022, at Cairo International Airport over suspicion of financing Boko Haram activities, before being repatriated to Nigeria.
He is accused of inserting himself into negotiations between families of victims abducted during the March 2022 Abuja–Kaduna train attack and the terrorist group responsible, allegedly for personal financial gain.
Prosecutors allege the attackers nominated him to coordinate ransom discussions and that he collected ransom payments on their behalf.
Led in evidence by prosecuting counsel, David Kaswe, the DSS witness narrated that after Mamu’s arrest, he contacted his in-law, Mubarak Tinja, and directed him to remove cash, vehicles, and other valuables from his residence to prevent security operatives from discovering them.
Upon executing a search warrant at Mamu’s Kaduna home and office, investigators reportedly recovered cash in both local and foreign currencies, as well as several vehicles. Items traced to other locations, allegedly on Mamu’s directive, included about $300,000 and seven vehicles, including a Toyota Camry (Muscle), a Peugeot 5008, a Lexus, a Mercedes E350, and Hyundai models.
The court admitted the vehicle documents in evidence.
The witness said Mamu voluntarily handed over his tablet and phones to the DSS exhibit keeper, who forwarded them for forensic analysis. He stated that the analysis revealed multiple voice notes between Mamu and the terrorists, which were played back to the defendant during interrogation.
Mamu allegedly admitted to instructing Mubarak to remove valuables from his residence, and also acknowledged communicating with the terrorists through voice notes.
He further told the court that a pump-action gun recovered from Mamu’s home was claimed by the defendant to be licensed, but investigators discovered that the licence had expired in December 2021 — nine months before his arrest.
The witness added that one voice note contained a request from the terrorists seeking Mamu’s guidance on how to build a website. He said about 98 per cent of the extracted audio was in Hausa, and that some translations were provided due to the volume of recordings.
Prosecution also tendered compact discs and a flash drive containing the voice notes, which were admitted in evidence. Six of the recordings were played in court, including one in which a terrorist spokesman, Baba Adamu, allegedly asked Mamu to help procure a public-address system for their preaching activities and seek assistance in creating a website.
The witness also disclosed that two victims of the Abuja–Kaduna train attack had provided written statements detailing their ordeals. Although they were unwilling to testify in court due to fear and trauma, their written statements — one in English and the other in Hausa (translated into English) — were admitted into evidence.
Eight statements made by Mamu to investigators, as well as video recordings of his interview sessions, were also admitted.
Kaswe informed the court of plans to file a formal application requesting a judicial visit to the storage facilities where recovered items from Mamu’s home and office are kept.
Meanwhile, Mamu has instituted a separate fundamental rights suit against the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), challenging his designation as a “terrorist”.
He argued that labelling him as such in the media violates the constitutional presumption of innocence, given that his trial is still ongoing.
Justice Mohammed Umar adjourned the case until February 23, 2026, for the adoption of final written addresses relating to Section 49 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act and Section 36 of the Nigerian Constitution.
