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*Says I'm a member of 'Shurah Council' BY IKECHUKWU NNOCHIRI ABUJA—The alleged mastermind of Christmas day bomb blast that killed about 44 persons and wounded 75 others at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger State, in 2011, Kabiru  Umar, a.k.a  Kabiru  Sokoto, yesterday, told a Federal High Court in Abuja that though he was a high profile member of the Islamic “Shurah Council” in Nigeria, he never joined the Boko Haram sect. Sokoto, who testified as his own witness, told the court that though he initially had sympathy for the organisation, his elder brother whose name he gave as Suleiman Aliyu Sokoto, persistently warned him not to get himself involved with the sect. Speaking through an interpreter, he said: “I am a member of the Shurah Council but not under Boko Haram.  I did not participate in any bombing.” Asked by the prosecuting council, Mrs Chioma Onuegbu, if it was true that he got his orders from Abu Shekau, Sokoto said: “As we all know, Shekau is a leader...

Abuja - Kabiru Umar, a terrorist suspect, accused of masterminding the bombing of St. Theresa Catholic Church in Madalla, Niger State, on Dec. 25, 2011, opened his defence at the Federal High Court on Monday in Abuja. Giving evidence, Umar, alias ``Kabiru Sokoto’’, who assumed the status of a witness, said the police and the State Security Service (SSS) extracted statement from him. [caption id="attachment_244238" align="alignnone" width="412"] Kabiru Abubakar Dikko, alias Kabiru Sokoto[/caption] ``I am aware of the charges brought against me; but, My Lord, I was tortured and mistreated several times to confess. ``All through the period of the investigation, I could not confess to the offence because I did not commit any offence. ``One of the operatives of the SSS asked me whether I knew one Habib Bama and I said no. ``He said to me that Bama was the actual mastermind of the bombings in Madalla. ``I was afraid of being killed, that was why I ran away from...