They were reportedly kept in military and DSS facilities in Abuja and some other places.
Some suspects arrested for funding Boko Haram and bandits have dragged the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, before a Federal High Court in Abuja challenging what they termed their unlawful detention by the Nigerian government.
It was reported in April that dozens of persons had been arrested by security agencies during a nationwide crackdown on suspected collaborators and financiers of insurgency in the country.
They were reportedly arrested in an operation being coordinated by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), and in collaboration with the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The operation was said to have been approved by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2020.
Some of those arrested include Baba Usaini, Abubakar Yellow (Amfani), Yusuf Ali Yusuf (Babangida), Ibrahim Shani, Auwal Fagge, and Muhammad Lawan Sani, a gold dealer.
They were reportedly kept in military and DSS facilities in Abuja and some other places.
In the cases instituted separately, the suspects are claiming that the Nigerian government is violating their individual fundamental human rights by detaining them beyond the stipulated constitutional period and without initiating criminal charges against them for any crime.
They are seeking an order of court to terminate their alleged unlawful incarceration and monetary compensation from the government for curtailing their rights to freedom of movement in breach of their constitutionally guaranteed rights and losses in their businesses.
The plaintiffs who have been in the custody of security agents for over a month are Bureau de Change operators alleged to have been using their services to advance the cause of Boko Haram terrorists.
The AGF is however claiming that the plaintiffs were hauled into detention for allegedly offering material and financial support to the dreaded Boko Haram terrorists unleashing mayhem on Nigerian citizens, mainly in the Northeastern part of the country.
He alleged that the plaintiffs have been providing finance and resources to the terrorists, thereby sustaining their heinous crimes against the government of the federation.
Malami further claimed that the suspects are being detained on the valid order of court pending the completion of investigation into their activities to determine the level of their individual complicity.
However at the Federal High Court where their cases were listed for mention before a vacation judge, Justice Ahmed Ramat Mohammed, some of the suits were consolidated due to their similarities in claims against the government.
Justice Mohammed fixed September 1, 2021 for further mention of the matters.
He ordered parties in the suits to file and exchange processes as required by law to facilitate quick determination of the issues in dispute.
Culled from the Sahara Reporters
