Leadership (Abuja)
3 October 2007
A Federal High Court in Abuja today remanded an American/Nigerian, Judith Asuni, 60, two Germans and a Nigerian in the custody of of the SSS.
They were standing trial on a seven-count charge of espionage.
The Germans are Florian Orpitz (35) and Andy Lehmann (26) while the Nigerian is Danjuma Saidu.
The accused were charged before the court by the federal government for alleged conspiracy and spying of military and sensitive information relating to the security of the nation.
They were docked before Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako, but they could not take their plea.
Nyako refused an oral application for the bail of the accused represented by their counsel, Ade Okeaya-Inneh and Ayodele Kusamotu.
She ordered their continued detention in the custody of the SSS and ordered that they should be given access to their family and lawyers.
The case was adjourned till Oct. 5 for the accused to take their plea.
The prosecution team led by Mr Salihu Aliyu, the Director of Public Prosecution in the Federal Ministry of Justice, informed the court that Asuni and Saidu were arrested last Thursday.
The Germans, according to him had been in the custody in the custody of the German Embassy.
In the seven-count charge preferred against the accused, they were alleged to have conspired to commit felony and entered the vicinity of protected places at Lagos, Warri and Port-Harcourt for a purpose prejudicial to the security of the country.
They were also alleged to have taken photographs of things situated in the protected places contrary to the Official Secrets Act.
Specifically, they were alleged to have taken photographs and video shots of pipelines, refineries, petroleum installations, ships and other things situated in the protected places.
Asuni and Saidu were alleged to have aided the Germans to make false declaration to the Nigerian embassy in Germany for the purpose of obtaining visa in to Nigeria.
The Germans were said to have falsely presented themselves as academic researchers whereas they were film makers.
A letter of invitation for Opitz by Heinrich Boll Foundation, Lagos, dated Aug. 15 and directed to the Nigerian Embassy, Germany was attached to the charge.
In the letter, Opitz was said to be an independent film maker from Germany billed to visit different parts of Nigeria "to see whether he could at a later stage, produce a film on Nigeria".
It will be recalled that the accused were arrested by Nigerian security operatives in the troubled Niger Delta last Thursday.
The two Germans arrived in Nigeria on Sept. 8, and allegedly made no contact with the German embassy either in Lagos or Abuja, but were escorted and guided by officials of the Academic Associates Peace Work to meet with Asuni, their host.
The itinerary prepared for the Germans showed that they were to be guided by the AAPW officials to oil and gas production areas in the Niger Delta region, prosecution said.
Security agents seized tapes from the accused and said the content were designed to embarrass Nigeria and rupture its national interest.
(NAN)
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