Henry Okah 'terror mastermind' challenges S-Africa conviction
A Nigerian jailed in Johannesburg
for masterminding a series of terror attacks in his homeland is to challenge South Africa 's
right to try him, his lawyer said Wednesday, reports AFP.
Henry Okah was sentenced to 24 years in prison last year for
masterminding attacks including twin car bombings that killed 12 people in Abuja on October 1, 2010, and two explosions that March in
the southern Nigerian city of Warri ,
a major hub of the oil-rich Delta region.
"We are challenging the jurisdiction of the court that
tried him," his lawyer JP Marais said.
Okah had been a permanent resident in South Africa and Nigeria never sought his
extradition.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND,
a group fighting for a greater share out of the Delta oil wealth, claimed
responsibility for the attacks.
A High Court in Johannesburg
last year convicted Okah of 13 terrorism charges.
He had denied involvement in the blasts and said the charges
were politically motivated.
No date has been set for the next hearing.
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