In a dramatic turn at the ongoing trial over the 2022 Abuja\u2013Kaduna train attack, a witness from Department of State Services (DSS) told the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday that alleged negotiator Tukur Mamu was offered \u20a650 million by the group\u2019s leader for his role in ransom negotiations.<\/p>\n
The testimony \u2014 given behind a protective screen for security reasons \u2014 came from the sixth prosecution witness, identified only as PW-6 and led in evidence by DSS counsel David Kaswe. The witness said the payment request arose in a recorded voice note from the terrorists\u2019 leader, known as Shugaba. Shugaba reportedly told Mamu to \u201cremove N50 million for his personal use\u201d from a tranche of ransom to be delivered.<\/p>\n
What the court heard: recordings, ransom logistics, and alleged deceit<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2022 The prosecution played four voice-note recordings extracted from Mamu\u2019s mobile devices during a forensic analysis after his arrest in Egypt and repatriation to Nigeria. The first recording concerned setting a date for ransom delivery; the second featured Shugaba offering the N50 million cut. The final notes included a request by the group\u2019s spokesperson to have Mamu procure speakers and a public address system \u2014 and even help them set up a website for their activities.<\/p>\n \u2022 The DSS witness explained that Mamu had allegedly steered the ransom negotiations away from the government-appointed Chief of Defence Staff Committee (CDS Committee) \u2014 which was established to negotiate with the captors \u2014 and instead convinced the terrorists to deal with individual families of hostages. The prosecution claims this was done to enable Mamu\u2019s personal financial gain.<\/p>\n \u2022 After Mamu\u2019s arrest, security agents executed a search warrant at his residence and office in Kaduna. They allegedly recovered large sums in both Naira and foreign currency \u2014 including about US$300,000 \u2014 as well as several vehicles (including a Toyota Camry \u201cMuscle,\u201d Peugeot 5008, Lexus, Mercedes E350, and a Hyundai). Vehicle documents relating to the cars were admitted as evidence.<\/p>\n \u2022 The witness also said that Mamu handed over a Samsung tablet and two phones which were sent to forensic analysts. The extracted voice-notes were presented during interrogation. Mamu allegedly admitted to instructing an in-law to move valuables from his house, and to communicating with terrorists via the devices. He also admitted owning a pump-action gun \u2014 but its licence had expired in December 2021.<\/p>\n Background: The train attack and Mamu\u2019s charges<\/strong><\/p>\n The Abuja\u2013Kaduna train attack occurred on 28 March 2022 in Katari, Kaduna State, when armed bandits ambushed the train, bombed cars, and abducted dozens of passengers at gunpoint. Casualties were reported among those onboard.<\/p>\n Mamu, a Kaduna-based publisher, was arrested in Egypt in September 2022 \u2014 reportedly while en route to Saudi Arabia \u2014 and extradited to Nigeria. The DSS had accused him of acting as a financier and negotiator for terrorists, facilitating ransom payments made by victims\u2019 families after the attack.<\/p>\n He was arraigned in March 2023 on multiple counts, including terrorism financing, receipt of ransom payments, dealing with terrorist funds, and communication with designated terrorists via voice notes. Mamu has pleaded not guilty to all charges.<\/p>\n Indeed, investigations by the financial-regulation authority Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) later listed Mamu among a group of 15 individuals allegedly involved in terrorism financing.<\/p>\n During Tuesday\u2019s sitting, the court admitted the recorded voice-notes (on CD plates and flash drive) as evidence after Mamu\u2019s counsel reserved his objection until final address.<\/p>\n Two victims of the train attack had earlier submitted written statements \u2014 one in English, another in Hausa \u2014 recounting their ordeal. However, both later declined to appear in court, citing fear and trauma. Their statements were nevertheless admitted as exhibits after the defence did not object.<\/p>\n The court has now adjourned the case until 26 November 2025 at 11:00 a.m. for continuation of trial proceedings.<\/p>\n This latest testimony by the DSS deepens the prosecution\u2019s narrative that Mamu was more than a humanitarian negotiator \u2014 alleging he acted for personal enrichment, diverted funds, facilitated ransom on behalf of terrorists, and aided their broader operations. The inclusion of voice notes requesting help with websites and PA systems suggests a degree of organisational support extending beyond just ransom delivery.<\/p>\n If the court finds the submissions credible \u2014 including forensic evidence, financial trail, and the recovered assets \u2014 the verdict could have significant ramifications for how hostage negotiations and ransom dealings are prosecuted under Nigerian anti-terrorism laws.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In a dramatic turn at the ongoing trial over the 2022 Abuja\u2013Kaduna train attack, a witness from Department of State Services (DSS) told the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday that alleged negotiator Tukur Mamu was offered \u20a650 million by the group\u2019s leader for his role in ransom negotiations. The testimony \u2014 given behind […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":96271,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5807,7],"tags":[352,169,2003,1039],"class_list":["post-96269","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-crime-and-violence","category-news","tag-court","tag-dss","tag-mamu","tag-n50m"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96269","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=96269"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96269\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/96271"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=96269"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=96269"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=96269"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}