BY HUGO ODIOGOR
LAGOS—Nigeria’s Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 24, will today make history as the first blackman from sub-Saharan Africa to be charged with terrorism- related case in Detroit, United States of America, where his trial opens amid tight security.

Nigeria’s embassy in Washington is sending an official to maintain a watching brief.

The London-based student, who was arrested on December 25, 2009, will appear before District Judge Nancy Edmunds and 12 juries who will examine the prosecution claims that Abdulmutallab had attempted to blow up a North West Airline 253 with 269 passengers on board with explosives laced in his underwear.

The device failed and the Nigerian was burnt by the fire that engulfed him in the aircraft which had landed in Detroit. He was rushed by other passengers who overpowered him and handed him over to security.

Abdulmutallab has been defiant and totally convinced of the justness of his failed action as he called United States “cancer” last week and claimed that his mentor Alwalki, the Yemen based Al-Qeada leader who was killed by American drones two weeks ago was still alive. He is also convinced that Osama Bin Laden is alive and was opposed to the idea of appearing for trial in Western style attire.

Abdulmutallab faces life imprisonment for his crime, if convicted which was included an attempt to commit terrorism on American soil and killing Americans in their own country.

Judge Nancy Edmunds announced a list of 12 juries and four alternatos last week after dropping a Nigerian woman who had earlier made the list The woman was suspected to have made contact with Umar Farouk when he appeared in court last week.

He was seen asking the woman what would be his fate in America if a verdict of not guilty was returned in the case.” He is afraid that he might be attacked by mobs but he is not dounted.

Security has been beefed up in some Northern states namely, Katsina, the home state of the suspect as well as Kano, the most populated Muslim state in Africa. There are also concerns in Maiduguri, Bauchi which have been identified as the axis of Al-Qaeda in Nigeria, Plateau State capital Jos and Kaduna State are two other flash points. Sources told Vanguard that Abuja which has witnessed four major bomb attack in the past one year is under security surveillance.

Security experts Mr. Bob Nyong told Vanguard that Abdul Mutalab’s defiant posture is based out of his conviction that his idols were right in attacking the western civilisation and values for which he wants to be martyred and become a hero to further would-be bombers. He is convinced that the ideologies of his mentors will outlive them.

The arrest of Abdul Mutalab caused the United States to place Nigeria on the security risk states and further tightened the nooze on Nigerians travelling to the United States. Washington has since removed Nigeria’s name from the list.

President Barak Obama felt so embarrassed that a black man was caught in a terrorist act that gave his opponents the ammunition to attack his national security policy.