Senator representing Borno State, A.li Ndume has admitted that he made contact with terrorist group, Boko Haram.

Ndume who is on trial for allegedly sponsoring the group told the federal high court, Abuja, on Tuesday that he revealed information he got from the sect to former Vice-President Namadi Sambo and the then director-general of the Department of State Service (DSS).

He said contact with Boko Haram was established when he was appointed into the presidential committee on security matters to negotiate for peace with the group.

The federal government arraigned Ndume in 2011 and re-arraigned him in 2013 on a four-count charge of allegedly sponsoring the sect.

[Read Also: WHY I WILL NOT APOLOGISE TO SARAKI – NDUME]

Ndume, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

His counsel, Ricky Tarfa told the court that the government was unable to link Ndume to the said crime.

“Clearly, from the totality of the evidence adduced by the prosecution, the ingredients of the charges have not been proved as required by law,” he said.

“The analysis of the mobile phones seized from the defendant and subjected to forensic examination by the prosecution did not reveal any offence committed.”

He asked the court to strike out the charges against Ndume on the grounds that no prima facie case had been established against him to warrant him defending himself.

The prosecuting counsel, Geraldine Okafor, urged the court to compel Ndume to open his defence.

“His admission that he was a member of the Presidential Committee on Security Matters also corroborates the evidence of the prosecution that he had volumes of information on the terrorist group which he refused to give to the government,” she said.

“The volume of information found on him was revealing and warranted his being charged to court.

“The prosecution is not fishing for information but in law, the defendant has to offer information being a member of the Presidential Committee on Security Matters.

“Let the point be made here that witnesses of the government have by one way or the other linked the charge against the defendant to him and this court, as an impartial court, should order the defendant to open his defence.

“It is even in the interest of the defendant and justice that this case be heard on its merit, instead of upholding the no-case submission.”

The judge fixed July 4 for ruling on the matter.

Azeez