by Chi Ibe

Senator Aliyu Ndume facing trial over terrorism-related charges on Thursday asked an Abuja Federal High Court to suspend his terrorism trial till after his appeal to challenge the court’s decision to welcome evidence tendered by the prosecution.

Ndume’s appeal according to defence counsel, A. O. Jolawo, was against rulings made by the court in December 2012, after allowing DVDs allegedly containing records of mobile telephone exchanges between the Senator and a former spokesman of the Boko Haram sect, Ali Konduga (aka Al Zawahiri).

Konduga who is currently serving a three-year prison term had implicated Ndume as a sponsor of the violent Islamic sect.

According to reports, prosecution counsel, Thompson Olatigbe, confirmed that he had received the notice of appeal, but unimpressed, he urged the court to continue with the cross-examination of Ndume since the motion for stay was not ready for hearing.

Olatigbe also said he had not been served with the motion for stay of proceedings.

the presiding judge, Justice Gabriel Kolawole, hs now adjourned the matter to February 19, 2013, to accommodate a hearing of the application for stay of proceedings.

Although Ndume denied being linked to Konduga who was convicted on two counts of criminal breach of public trust and intimidation through anonymous communication, the State Security Service, which investigated the accusations against Ndume, had insisted that the Senator was definitely linked to the sect.