Lebanese jailed for life by Nigerian court for terrorism

The trial of three Lebanese accused of belonging to Hezbollah terrorist group ended on Friday with a Federal High Court in Abuja sentencing one of them to life imprisonment.


Talal Ahmad Roda, who was arrested in the Kano house where the ammunition was found, got life imprisonment having been found guilty of conspiracy.

Mustapha Fawaz, owner of Abuja based-Amigo Supermarket and Wonderland Amusement Park, both companies and the second accused person, Abdallah Thahini were freed.

Justice Ademola Adeniyi, in a judgment held that the prosecution failed to provide concrete evidence linking them with terrorism.

The Federal Government had on July 29 arraigned the three men and the companies on a 16-count charge of terrorism.

While Roda was convicted on counts 8 and 9 relating to conspiracy, Fawaz, his company and Thahini was acquitted on all the counts.

Justice Adeniyi held that the prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable doubts that the discharged persons are terrorists.

The judge was of the opinion that since Hezbollah military group was not labeled a terrorist group under any Nigerian law, the court could not hold otherwise.

He observed that some aspects of the investigation were not properly conducted.

The judge also noted that the prosecution failed by the evidence brought before the court to establish a case of terrorism against the accused persons.

He held that the prosecution was wrong by not producing before the court either of the ammunition recovered from No 3 Gaiya road, Kano or the photographer who took picture pictures of the ammunition.