The State Security Service on Wednesday withdrew charges it filled before a Chief Magistrate Court in Karu, a town on the outskirts of Abuja, against four Lebanese – Mustapha Fawaz, Abdalah Tahini, Talal Rouda and Khosai Nouridine – who were arrested in connection with the armoury and Hezbollah cell in Bompai, Kano, and two weeks ago.

    The development followed the discovery that the weight of the offence committed by the Lebanese surpassed the jurisdiction of the Chief Magistrate’s Court.

    Our correspondent gathered that the withdrawal of the charge was a prelude to the filling of fresh, terrorism – related charges against the suspected Hezbollah military wing members at a Federal High Court.

    Meanwhile, the Lebanese suspects have remained in the custody of the SSS.

    The SSS had, a few days after the arrest of the suspects, dragged them before the Karu Chief Magistrate Court.

    When the court resumed sitting on the matter on Wednesday, SSS counsel, Mr. Clifford Osagie, applied to withdraw the charge that filed on the basis of the First Information Report on the activities of the Lebanese suspects.

    Osagie explained that facts from investigations into the activities of the suspects had established that the chief Magistrate’s Court lacked the jurisdiction to try the Lebanese.

    “The accused persons were remanded based on the charge in the FIR but investigation has progressed extensively and facts that appeared in the course of investigation are clearly related to offences, which are outside the jurisdiction of this court,” Osagie said.

    He, therefore, applied that the FIR file on the accused persons be returned to the SSS.

    The SSS counsel hinted that the Federal Government would in due course file fresh, more serious charges against the Lebanese before an appropriate court, entertaining all ongoing terrorism-related cases.

    “The case file has been forwarded to the Attorney-General of the Federation for further action on the matter,” Osagie informed the court.

    Counsel for the Lebanese suspects, Ahmed Raji, SAN, did not oppose the SSS application for the withdrawal of the charge.

    He said, as rightly submitted by the prosecuting counsel, the offences linked on the FIR border on terrorism, which are beyond the scope of this court.

    “Therefore, in the circumstance, we have no choice than to agree with the prosecuting counsel and I will be urging this court to strike out the charge.

    The Chief Magistrate, Yemi Oyeyipo, thereafter struck out the charge filed by the SSS, as well as the preliminary objection filed by the Lebanese.