Nyanya bombing: Court orders prosecution witnesses to be shielded from public

Prosecution witnesses in the trial of the alleged mastermind of Nyanya bombing, Aminu Ogwuche, were, on Monday, ordered to be shielded from public view.
The order was given by a Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja.
This followed an application by the prosecution, Mohammed Diri, that the identity of prosecution witnesses be shielded with tinted screen.
The Federal Government will open its case against Ogwuche on Tuesday.
Facing terrorism charges are Aminu Sadiq Ogwuche, Ahmed Abubakar, Mohammed Ishaq, Ya’u Saidu (Kofar Rama), Anas Isa, Adamu Yusuf and Nasir Abubakar.
At the resumed trial on Monday, a representative of the prosecution counsel, M. Ogunsina, moved a motion seeking to modify the order of the court made on March 18, 2015.
In his ruling, Justice Ahmed Mohammed ordered the use of tinted screens to shield and protect prosecution witnesses from public view.
Only the lead counsel to the accused persons will have access to view the facial identities of the prosecution witnesses.
The court also granted the request of the prosecution that the witnesses will have access to the court room through a non public route.
In a five paragraphs affidavit in support of the motion, the deponent stated that failure to grant it will affect the witnesses’ willingness to sacrifice and give evidence “for fear of their lives”.
Ogunsina revealed that the witnesses “are currently engaged in field operations in the North-East against the Boko Haram insurgency”.
But the motion was opposed by the defence counsel, Ahmed Raji (SAN), and five others.
Raji, counsel to Ogwuche and Abubakar, argued that the motion did not meet the requirements of Section 115 of the Evidence Act 2010.
To him, bringing the motion under Civil Procedure Rules renders it incompetent as criminal trials are not regulated by civil procedure rules.
He was overruled by Justice Mohammed.