Nigeria Drops Charges Against Abuja Bombing 'Mastermind'

A Nigerian court has dropped two terrorism charges leveled earlier against Aminu Sadiq Ogwuche, who the government had claimed was the mastermind of a deadly April 14 car bombing in capital Abuja.



Judge Adeniyi Ademola of the Abuja Federal High Court threw out the case, citing a lack of diligent prosecution by the Nigerian government, which is represented by the secret police.



Ogwuche, who was repatriated from Sudan following his arrest by Interpol, had faced charges alongside two other suspects who the government said were involved in the April bombing, in which over 100 people were killed.



The court, meanwhile, has set December 5 for hearing a case, filed by Ogwuche, in which the latter is seeking enforcement of his "fundamental human rights."



He is asking the court to compel police to either charge him with an offense or release him.



Ogwuche has been detained since July 15, when he was flown back to Nigeria from Khartoum.



His case is one of numerous terrorism-related cases before the court, as Nigeria continues to battle a five-year Boko Haram insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives – especially in the country's northeast – and displaced millions.



Ogwuche is suspected of belonging to the militant group, which has been outlawed in Nigeria, Turkey and the United States.



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