By IKECHUKWU NNOCHIRI

ABUJA — A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, yesterday, declined to grant bail to two Nigerians, Abdullahi Mustapha Berende and Saidi Adewumi, accused of recruiting new members for an Iran-based terrorist organisation.

The two accused persons were said to have collected the sum of 3,000 Euros and $20, 000 from the terrorist group to source and train terrorist-minded Nigerians fluent in English Language.

According to a six count charge preferred against them, the duo, had on or before September 2011 and December 2012, in Tehran, Iran, rendered support to the group via provision of materials and terrorism trainings on use of firearms and other weapons.

The Federal Government told the court that some of the persons that benefited from their training, among whom included Suleiman Olayinka Sake and Aminu Mohammed Yusuf, are currently at large.

Their alleged offence is punishable under section 5(1) and 8 of the Terrorism Prevention Act, 2013.

However, the accused persons who were on August 28, remanded in the custody of the Department of State Services, DSS, re-approached the court with an application seeking their release on bail pending the conclusion of their trial.

In the alternative, they begged the court to order their transfer to Kuje prison, saying they were denied access to their family members and lawyers by operatives of the DSS.

Besides, the second accused person told the court that his wife has vowed never to have anything to do with him again owing to the allegation against him which he described as false and baseless.

Consequently, he vehemently opposed an application by the prosecuting counsel, Mrs Chioma Onwuegbu, for members of the public to be barred from witnessing their trial.

The accused person insisted that having been branded a terrorist in public, he said the court would deny him justice should it not allow members of the public to attend the proceeding so as to attest to the veracity or otherwise of the charge.

In his ruling yesterday, Justice R.A Mohammed, granted the application by the prosecution, stressing that aside the accused persons and their lawyers, only journalists would henceforth be allowed to attend their trial.

The court further issued an order for the prosecution to shield the identity of its witnesses, even as he ordered that the accused persons should remain in DSS custody.

Before adjourning the matter to October 22, Justice Mohammed warned that they should be granted unfettered access to their lawyers and family members.

Likewise, the court, yesterday, adjourned till October 10 to commence trial of one David Iornem accused of operating an illegal university.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, had alleged that the accused person defrauded so many unsuspecting Nigerians under the pretext that he would offer them admission into his university identified as Commonwealth University, Belize.