The Department of State Security (DSS) yesterday told a Federal High Court in Abuja that the owner of Amigo Supermarket, Mustapha Fawaz and two other Lebanese. Accused of importing arms into the country for alleged terrorism, belongs to the Hezbollah military wing.

Counsel to the DSS, Eric Osagie, further disclosed that investigation into the incident had established a serious case of terrorism with international dimension and it would be premature to grant them bail. Besides, he said one of the suspects, was on the run.

Meanwhile, the court has ordered that Fawaz, Abdallah Tahini and Tala Ahmed Toda should be remanded in the custody of the DSS till June 21 when the matter would be heard. They were produced in court yesterday, sequel to an order directing the DSS, the Inspector-General of Police and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) to produce them. Specifically, Justice Adeniyi Ademola had ordered that the three defendants be produced before the court yesterday.

The order followed an ex-parte application by the defence counsel including Chief Robert Clarke (SAN), Ahmed Raja (SAN) and 12 others.

Osagie told the court that he brought the accused persons in compliance with the June 11order. He said the matter was for hearing, but that he has filed a counter-affidavit and has served it on the court and counsel to the applicants.

Responding, defence counsel, Chief Clarke confirmed that he was served with the counter-affidavit in court and that he needed time to respond as it raised some contentious issues. In the circumstances, he prayed the court for an adjournment with an order directing the DSS to produce the accused persons in court at all times, until they are granted bail.

Clarke further prayed that his clients be allowed access to theirlawyers. Justice Ademola, in his ruling, ordered counsel to the applicants to file and serve his reply latest by next Monday, while the DSS were given two days to file their response.

The suspects had sued the DSS and the AGF challenging their arrest and continued detention. Following the ex-parte motion, the judge ordered as follows: “That an order is hereby made directing the respondents particularly the first and second respondents to produce the applicants in court on June 13, 2013. “That it is further ordered that the applicants’ Motion on Notice dated the 3rd day of June, 2013 already served on the respondents is fixed for June 13 for hearing.”

The suspects had also slammed a N50 billion lawsuit against the DSS Director-General, Ekpenyong Ita and the AGF, Mohammed Adoke (SAN) for unlawful arrest and detention without trial.

In the suit filed before a Federal High Court, Abuja, they have also prayed the court to stop the respondents from extraditing them except by a procedure permitted by law.

In the application for the enforcement of their fundamental rights, the applicants asked the court to declare their arrest and continued detention without trial by the DSS on various dates as “illegal, unlawful, unconstitutional, null, void and of no effect whatsoever.

Culled from The Sun newspaper