According To Vanguard, October 22, 2025, a Department of State Services (DSS) investigator has alleged before the Federal High Court in Abuja that Tukur Mamu, a Kaduna-based publisher and former negotiator in the 2022 Abuja-Kaduna train attack, betrayed the trust of the Federal Government’s negotiation committee set up to secure the release of hostages.
Testifying during Mamu’s ongoing trial, the DSS operative told the court that the defendant acted contrary to his mandate by engaging in unauthorized dealings with bandit leaders during the negotiation process. According to the investigator, Mamu allegedly exchanged classified information and demanded financial benefits under the guise of securing the victims’ release.
The DSS witness further revealed that during investigations, evidence recovered from Mamu’s residence and communication devices linked him to suspicious transactions and correspondence with terrorist elements involved in the 2022 train attack.
He told the court that Mamu’s actions compromised the security committee’s efforts, prolonged the victims’ captivity, and jeopardized national security. The operative also added that intelligence reports indicated Mamu maintained contact with some terrorist leaders even after the victims were freed.
Mamu, who was arrested in 2022 at Cairo International Airport while en route to Saudi Arabia, has since faced charges bordering on terrorism financing, conspiracy, and aiding insurgency. However, he has consistently denied all allegations, maintaining that his role was purely humanitarian and aimed at helping families of abducted victims.
His counsel, in cross-examination, argued that the DSS failed to provide substantial proof that Mamu profited from the negotiations or collaborated with the terrorists. The defense described the prosecution’s claims as “politically motivated and lacking factual basis.”
The court adjourned the matter to a later date for further hearing, as both sides prepare to call additional witnesses.
The 2022 Abuja-Kaduna train attack, which left several passengers dead and many others kidnapped, remains one of Nigeria’s deadliest terrorist incidents in recent history.
