THE Federal Government has slammed a 14-count charge of treason, gun-running and terrorism against the detained leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND), Henry Okah, and one Edward Attata.
Linked to missing arms in Army depot
The government said the accused persons would soon be arraigned in court. Of note is their linkage to the alleged missing arms at the Nigerian Army Ordnance depot in Kaduna.
The Director of Public Prosecution, Mr Salihu Aliyu, who made the information about the charges public in Abuja said Okah bought over 6,000 assorted rifles ammunition from some military officers who are currently facing a court martial in Kaduna.
Aliyu alleged that the accused persons supplied the weapons to militant groups in the Niger Delta with a view to intimidating and overawing the Federal Government.
Arrested trying to buy $670,000 ships
The prosecutor said Okah and his co-accused were arrested on September 23, 2007 in Angola while trying to buy a Korean vessel worth $670,000 for the purpose of transporting weapons to militant groups in the Niger Delta.
Treason carries the death penalty.
Human rights lawyer, Mr Femi Falana, is defending the arrested persons.
They were extradited to Nigeria last month on the strength of a request by the Federal Government. They are currently in security custody for interrogation.
The detainees have been described by the Police as international gun runners, oil bunkerers, kidnappers, pirates and financiers of militant activities.
The Police also said they were extradited from Angola where they were arrested while negotiating for the purchase of gun boats and ground-to-air missiles for use to destabilise Nigeria and other West Africa countries.
But while the controversy on the nature of the offences committed by the accused person and the state of the first accused person raged, Mr Falana filed an ex-parte application on their behalf, demanding their unconditional release. He also asked for an order of the court for the accused persons to enforce their fundamental human rights.
The application was moved before Justice Babs Kuewumi recently and the court ordered that they be allowed access to their counsel.
Counsel granted access to Okah
But when Mr Falana was not allowed to see his client, he approached the court to file Form 48 with a view to jailing the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Director of the SSS and the Inspector-General of Police.
Government, however, told the court yesterday that Falana never met with it to discuss seeing his clients before initiating the committal proceedings.
The DPP said he had engaged Mr Falana in a discussion and would be allowed to see his clients.
The development made Falana to withdraw the Form 48 he filed to jail the three principal government officers while government itself withdrew a separate application it filed to reverse an ex-parte order granted the detainees to have access to their counsel.