According to Tribune Newspapers, One of the three Lebanese suspects standing trial for alleged illegal possession of firearms, Talal Ahmed Rodo, on Friday told the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja that he had been servicing the bunker discovered in No 3,Gaiya road in Kano State.
The trial judge, Justice Adeniyi Ademola, also ordered the transfer of the accused persons to Kuje Prison on the request of their counsel, Ahmed Raji SAN.
Rodo, who is the 3rd accused person, admitted to the said fact while being cross-examined by the Prosecution Counsel, Simon Egede.
Rodo, who is the 3rd accused person, admitted to the said fact while being cross-examined by the Prosecution Counsel, Simon Egede.
Rodo said, who was testifying as the Defense Witness 1, he was a squatter in the house where the firearms were recovered in Kano and that he had good knowledge of the arms in the bunker.
He added that he serviced the arms on the instruction of the owner of the house, Abdulhassan Tahir.
According to him,“Tahir told me that those arms were licensed and I had no reason whatsoever not to believe him. I was also afraid to report to the police because I felt it might be a risk for me.”
He also admitted to being a member of the Hezbollah but said he could not confirm the membership of the two other accused persons.
Rodo further stated that in 2010, when he travelled to Lebanon for the marriage of his daughter, one Isa, a Hezbollah member, asked him to get the information about Isreali companies in Nigeria but he refused.
The court, however, transfered the three accused persons, Mustapha Fawaz, Abdallah Thahani and Talal Ahmed Rodo, from the custody of the department of state services DSS to Kuje prisons.
The court’s order was premised on the application brought by counsel to the suspects that his clients had alleged that they were no longer comfortable in the custody of the DSS.
He told the court that his clients had made the request based on the fact that they were afraid to stay in the DSS custody to give evidence in defence of their case.
The court adjourned till Monday for continuation of defense.
