Henry Okah
A Nigerian jailed in
Johannesburg for a series of terror attacks in his homeland on Wednesday
appealed his conviction, challenging South Africa’s right to try him, his
lawyer said.
Henry Okah is serving
24 years behind bars for
masterminding a
series of terror attacks, including twin bombings which killed 12 people in the
Nigerian capital Abuja during independence day celebrations in 2010.
The bombs
exploded outside a venue where the 50th anniversary was being marked, with several
foreign heads of state attending.
He was put on trial in South Africa, where he
has permanent residence, on charges of orchestrating the bombings from his home
in Johannesburg and was convicted in early 2013 on 13 terror charges.
He has
denied any involvement in the blasts and said the charges against him were
politically motivated. His appeal hinges on whether his host country had the
jurisdiction to try him.
“Judgement has been reserved and we don’t know when it
will be handed down,” his lawyer Idemudia Uriesi told AFP.
Okah’s appeal was
first heard by the Supreme Court of Appeals in November 2014, but was adjourned
indefinitely after his legal team decided to launch a constitutional challenge
to his original conviction.
Okah, who was also convicted over two other
explosions in 2010 in the southern Nigerian city of Warri, a major hub of the
oil-rich Delta region, was the presumed leader of the Nigerian militant group
Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND).
MEND claimed
responsibility for the bombings.
The group has since 2006 been demanding
reparations and a fair share of oil revenue for residents of the Niger Delta.
The group has now seen spin-offs by radicals who want independence for the
region.
Follow Solenzo Blog on
0 Comments