UN Complex Bombing: Court Admits DSS Video Evidence in Trial of Al-Barnawi, Others

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday admitted three video recordings tendered by the Department of State Services (DSS) in the ongoing trial-within-trial involving five men accused of orchestrating the 2011 bombing of the United Nations building in Abuja.

Justice Emeka Nwite, who presided over the session, ruled the videos admissible as the court seeks to determine whether the defendants’ extra-judicial statements were made voluntarily or under duress. The judge adjourned proceedings to December 5 for the continuation of the playback of the remaining clips.

The defendants – Khalid Al-Barnawi, Mohammed Bashir Saleh, Umar Mohammed Bello (alias Datti), Mohammed Salisu and Yakubu Nuhu (alias Bello Maishayi) – are standing trial for allegedly masterminding the August 26, 2011 attack that killed at least 20 people and injured more than 70.

Arrested in 2016, Al-Barnawi and his co-accused have repeatedly challenged the voluntariness of their confessional statements, citing alleged coercion by DSS operatives. The trial had suffered years of delays largely due to procedural challenges and lack of legal representation, but progress has accelerated since the appointment of Mr. Oluwatosin Ajayi as Director-General of the DSS, under whose directive several terrorism trials were fast-tracked.

Earlier in Friday’s proceedings, the same court admitted the extra-judicial statements of three other defendants – Haruna Ali Abbas, Ibrahim Hussaini Musa, and Adam Sulaiman – accused of spying on U.S. and Israeli interests in Nigeria for individuals linked to Iran.

That case, which began in 2014 and has been reassigned multiple times, also underwent a trial-within-trial after the defendants alleged they had been tortured and intimidated while in DSS custody. The prosecution argued that the statements were freely made, noting that the suspects read and signed each page after being cautioned.

After hearing testimonies from both sides, Justice Nwite held that the DSS had demonstrated that the statements were voluntary. He subsequently admitted them as exhibits and adjourned the substantive trial to January 22, 2026.