Abuja Court Orders Trial in Absentia for Five Terror Suspects Linked to Bello Turji
The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the trial of five suspects accused of supporting the terrorist network of notorious kingpin Bello Turji to proceed in their absence. The ruling comes after the defendants repeatedly failed to appear in court despite a bench warrant for their arrest.
Justice Emeka Nwite granted the application on Tuesday, following a motion by David Kaswe, counsel for the Attorney-General of the Federation. Kaswe informed the court that the defendants, who are currently at large, had missed three consecutive court dates. He stated that efforts to trace and produce them had been unsuccessful despite the existing arrest warrant.
Citing Section 352(4) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, Kaswe orally applied for the trial to continue in absentia. Justice Nwite granted the application and adjourned the matter until April 13 for the continuation of trial.
The five defendants—Musa Muhammed Kamarawa, Abubakar Hashimu (aka Doctor), Bashir Abdullahi, Samuel Chinedu, and Lucky Chukwuma—are facing an 11-count terrorism charge. They are accused of providing material support to terrorist groups led by Turji and other bandit commanders operating in Zamfara, Sokoto, and Kaduna states.
The charge, filed in December 2024, alleges the suspects supplied terror camps with essential goods, including military uniforms, camouflage, boots, construction materials like cement and zinc, and illicit drugs such as cannabis. A specific count details how Kamarawa, alongside two others at large, allegedly aided terrorism by sourcing and paying for a military gun truck from Libya for terrorist Kachalla Halilu in 2021, at a cost of approximately ₦28.5 million.
Another count accuses Kamarawa, Hashimu, and Abdullahi of providing medical treatment and shelter for Bello Turji after he sustained gunshot injuries from an attack in Zamfara State in 2018.
The case has a complex procedural history. The charge was initially struck out in July 2025 by Justice Nwite for lack of diligent prosecution after the prosecuting counsel was absent. The Federal Government subsequently succeeded in an application to re-list the charge in December 2025.
The defendants were first arraigned in December 2024 and denied the charges. Their bail applications were rejected in March 2025, and the prosecution commenced its case, calling a protected witness who testified about the defendants’ alleged roles in facilitating terrorist logistics, including the gun truck purchase.
The decision to try the suspects in absentia marks a significant step in a long-delayed prosecution. It underscores the judiciary’s willingness to use statutory provisions to prevent accused persons from frustrating proceedings by their absence. The trial will now proceed without the physical presence of the five defendants, with the next hearing set for mid-April. Three other named accused, including Bello Turji himself, remain at large and are not part of this particular in absentia order.
