Boko Haram members plead not guilty in Nigeria bombings that killed 25 people

Elombah.com

30 September 2011

Boko Haram members plead not guilty in Nigeria bombings that killed 25 people 

Six suspected members of a radical Muslim sect accused of plotting bombings that killed 25 people in Nigeria have pleaded not guilty to the charges they face. The six men appeared Friday at the Federal High Court in Abuja for an arraignment over the killings. They face charges of bombing an election

 office in nearby Suleja in Niger state, bombing a political rally and church and detonating a bomb that killed security agents.

Prosecutors allege the suspects belong to the sect known locally as Boko Haram, which campaigns for the strict implementation of Shariah law.

The group claimed responsibility for the Aug. 26 car bombing at the United Nations headquarters in the country that killed at least 23 people and wounded 116.

In an Abuja high court, the six were hit with a five count charge of throwing bombs in and around the federal capital between March and May.

Eight suspects were charged with similar offences before a (lower) magistrate court in Abuja on September 13.