Court Grants FG Approval To Reopen Terrorism Trial Linked To Bello Turji

Court Grants FG Approval To Reopen Terrorism Trial Linked To Bello Turji
The case involves suspects linked to Bello Turji.
Court fixed January 21, 2026, for continuation.

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has granted the Federal Government’s request to reopen a terrorism charge involving five suspects linked to notorious terrorist leader, Bello Turji.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that Justice Emeka Nwite delivered the ruling on Thursday after granting a motion on notice filed by the Attorney General of the Federation seeking to relist the charge marked FHC ABJ CR 633 2024 on the court’s cause list.

The case had earlier been struck out on July 8, 2025, after defence counsel successfully applied orally for its dismissal on grounds of lack of diligent prosecution.

The Federal Government initially filed an 11 count terrorism charge against eight defendants, including Turji, who is currently at large.

The charge, filed on December 16, 2024, named Musa Muhammed Kamarawa, Abubakar Hashimu also known as Doctor, Bashir Abdullahi, Samuel Chinedu and Lucky Chukwuma as the first five defendants.

Bello Turji, Aminu Muhammad and Sani Lawal were listed as the sixth to eighth defendants and remain at large.

The defendants were accused of providing material support to terrorist groups by supplying illicit drugs, food items, military and police uniforms, camouflage materials and building supplies to terror camps across Zamfara, Sokoto and Kaduna states.

In one of the counts, Kamarawa, Muhammad and Lawal were alleged to have aided terrorist activities in Sokoto State in 2021 by procuring a military gun truck from Libya and supplying it to terror leader Kachalla Halilu for about N28.5 million.

The prosecution also alleged that Kamarawa, Hashimu and Abdullahi provided medical treatment, shelter and support to Bello Turji after he sustained injuries during a 2018 attack on Tungar Kolo village in Zamfara State.

Four of the suspects were arraigned on December 23, 2024, pleaded not guilty and were remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre. Trial proceedings later stalled due to the absence of prosecuting counsel, leading to the case being struck out.

At Thursday’s hearing, the Federal Government argued that terrorism cases with international implications must be determined on their merits. Justice Nwite agreed and ordered the case to be relisted without awarding costs.

The matter was adjourned to January 21, 2026, for continuation of trial.