Nigeria Widens Charges against 'Hizbullah Agents'
Nigerian prosecutors on Monday widened charges against three Lebanese nationals "accused of links to Hizbullah" as their trial began with access to the courtroom restricted and the identities of witnesses concealed.
Mustapha Fawaz, 49, Abdallah Thahini, 48, and Talal Ahmad Roda, 51, have been accused of having ties to Hizbullah and plotting attacks against Western and Israeli targets in Nigeria.
Prosecutors brought fresh charges related to money-laundering and illegal importation of goods among crimes.
These came in addition to the terrorism-related offences filed last month after a massive supply of weapons was found at a business in the capital Abuja and a private home in the northern city of Kano.
"We want to be sure that all elements of every offence disclosed by the investigation is properly before the court," prosecutor Simon Egede said.
Judge Adeniyi Adetokunbo Ademola agreed to a prosecution request to restrict access to the hearings, with only the defendants, their legal teams, journalists and two relatives per each accused allowed in.
He said the identities of the prosecution witnesses would not be revealed for security reasons.
Agents of the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria's main intelligence branch, wore face masks when they testified Monday.
The defendants have pleaded not guilty to all charges but prosecutors say they have admitted membership in Hizbullah, which is not a crime in Nigeria.
The trio are believed to own a supermarket and an amusement park in Abuja, but the businesses have been shuttered since the arrests.
A fourth suspect is said to be on the run.
Nigeria is grappling with a deadly Islamist insurgency waged by Boko Haram, but there has been no suggestion of any ties between the Lebanese accused and the Nigerian extremist group.
Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, is home to a sizeable Lebanese population, including in the mainly Muslim north.
over 11 years
Terrorists....they give a new meaning to that word! They sure know how to make friends....especially claiming to be God-loving people! The funny (puzzling) thing about all this is those naive follower....don't they see what these scums that they worship are all about...from a world point of view? Why does sheep come to mind!
over 11 years
We're the resistance, they're the terrorists. May god give us the required resources to drag them before a court of justice.
over 11 years
What sealed the faith of the "resistance" for H.A. is Israel's withdrawal after the former promised the Jews they will deal with the Palestinians regarding boarder security.
over 11 years
philth: it's good that you're terrified at the sight of the Hezbollah flag, it's meant to be this way, we want israelis to do in their pants everytime they think of Lebanon and its Resistance.
over 11 years
besides that, it's sad that nigeria, which is plagued with boko haram terrorists, had to take part in this masquerade to earn some sustenance from israel.
boko haram is a takfiri group who has been blindly slaughtering innocent people in the last years, multiple suicide bombings in churches, assassinations of muslim clerics who did not condone their ideology, attacks on state institutions and police stations...
yet nigeria chose to go after a group that never conducted a single attack against it, and has no motive to do so, in what appears to be a framing against HA.
over 11 years
Our God is not the same God the filthy militia refers to.
over 11 years
Iran does not car.
over 11 years
Nope. It's too bussy.
over 11 years
Amazing how these terrorists get caught everywhere in the world, except in Lebanon... Someting is really really wrong with this picture.
over 11 years
Yawnnnnnn.....again with the_BORE! M14 this/that...blah..blah..blah. Maa maaa maaa!
over 11 years
Bigsami: tell him «we don't debate with terrorists». Khalli yifham ba2a.
over 11 years
Seriously Mr. Bore....if HA is such a force for love/peace/good...then why haven't we seen ANY COUNTRY, GROUP, ASSOCIATION, etc. come out and stand behind them? Other than Iran, Assad (N. Korea and Russia solely to maintain an arms client)..........NONE! So take that M14 BS and sell it to someone as naive as you.
over 11 years
the_Bore.....read again and stop shooting from the hip. All I'm saying is that you are constantly defending/supporting anything that pertains to your beloved Persian militia aka HA. Where do you see or find anyone standing in line waiting to join and be part of this scum party? All you read/hear when it comes to HA is terror & killing. So go preach elsewhere or as we see, to your other hable buddy BSThrower.
over 11 years
Figures....Heckle and Jeckle unite! BSThrower....your so pathetic!
over 11 years
I see we've got the few HA boneheads swarming this post....lol. Bore and BSThrower....it's easy to fall on "propaganda" as your pitiful excuse for being targeted and victimized. Get your head out of your rear and realize that you are despised globally...and no matter how many posts you write trying to justify your existence...it's falling on deaf ears!
over 11 years
As we are constantly reminded by the Assad/Iranian cheerleaders any time there is any kind of accusations against the Glorious resistance it is always an evil plot led by the Israeli/US and now EU. After all Hizbullah is a divine entity that descended on to the Lebanon by way of Qom.
over 11 years
Hahaha the case of pot calling the kettle black again? Ok fine Nigeria is the lowest of the low the worst of the worst the most corrupt government in the WORLD! And even THEM are calling Hizbullah terrorists! The modern world is calling you terrorists and the scum is calling you terrorists who else is left?
Regarding Nigeria's corruption I wish our politicians are as corrupt as the Nigerian without a militia like hizbullah rulling it and 24/7 electricity :)
over 11 years
There we go again calling me names while in a previous post you were giving me a hard time about it.
Great, so if you are saying that's the case and it's all an Israeli/US plan to isolate and criminalize Hizbullah why haven't we seen Guinean president shouting "Hezbullah are Terrorists"?
over 11 years
Well stated anonym* but as you well know most these followers are very limited...can you rephrase is such a way that you can make it simple....ie: HA Crimes for Dummies? lololol
over 11 years
The woman carrying the flag is how I imagine the avatar of lebanon-patriot. Pure Karbala ancestry (or Muqdadeyye North of Baghdad).
over 11 years
So called "lebanon-patriot" is a dude, I guarantee it.
over 11 years
You and M8 on the other hand are so unpredicatble.
- Sometimes it is a Zionist conspiracy
- Sometimes it is an American ploy
- and other times it is even both of the above.
It is hard to predict you guys.
over 11 years
It is really easy. Pick "e", all of the above while the Israelis laugh at us.
over 11 years
Why bother list facts, ft and roar already have their minds made up.
over 11 years
yeah--don't bother with facts. they believe that their insistences and alluding to zionist and other conspiracies trumps all facts.
over 11 years
This is a good list. Such a list always comes handy. I'll store same for future reference after independent research.
over 11 years
You forgot the Bulgarian Israeli Tourists bus attack?
over 11 years
People tend to comment about Hizbollah as though it's an organisation born to terrorism in 2005 with the Hairi assassination. They forget that Mughaniyeh was in operation a long time ago in the mid-eighties, highjaking foreigners, killing them (Michel Seurat and others) , that the Hizbollah is none else but the Islamic Jihad of the early 80's, responsible for the first-of-a kind terror attacks in Beirut against the american embassy and their barracks near the airport. Any search on the net would bring to the fore a lot of information, forgotten by by now.
over 11 years
the most powerful point of your comment is calling someone a "female" as a supposed insult.. how backward
over 11 years
12-Thailand
13-Iraq
over 11 years
Flthy militia are hunted everywhere. Keep op the good work.
Terrorists.
they are driving the country into the abyss