A Federal High Court in Abuja has approved a request from the Department of State Services (DSS) to accelerate the terrorism trial of Khalid Al-Barnawi—the alleged mastermind behind the August 26, 2011, bombing of the United Nations House in Abuja—and four co-defendants, aiming to resolve a case stalled for nearly a decade.

The suicide attack, Nigeria's first on an international target, killed at least 23 people and injured over 100, drawing worldwide condemnation and marking a grim escalation in Boko Haram-linked violence. Justice Emeka Nwite granted the motion Friday after DSS counsel Alex Iziyon (SAN) argued the agency was ready for swift determination, with no opposition from the defendants' lawyers.

Al-Barnawi, arrested in Lokoja, Kogi State, in April 2016 after a five-year manhunt, faces charges alongside Mohammed Bashir Saleh, Umar Mohammed Bello (aka Datti), Mohammed Salisu, and Yakubu Nuhu (aka Bello Maishayi). Known by aliases like Kafuri, Naziru, Alhaji Yahaya, Mallam Dauda, and Alhaji Tanimu, he is accused of leading Ansaru (Jama’atu Ansarul Muslima Fi Biladis Sudan), a Boko Haram splinter with al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb ties, in conspiracies for attacks from 2011 to 2013 across northern states including Sokoto, Kebbi, Bauchi, Borno, and Gombe. Ansaru has claimed responsibility for the UN blast, a 2012 Kuje Prison break freeing dozens, and kidnappings of Westerners.

The U.S. designated Al-Barnawi a global terrorist in 2012, offering a $5 million bounty. The trial, initiated post-arrest, has dragged due to legal and administrative hurdles. As part of the acceleration, the court allowed video footage of the defendants' extrajudicial statements to be screened in the registrar's presence during a trial-within-trial on voluntariness claims, with notes taken and review on the next date.

Nwite adjourned to October 23 and 24 for continuation. The clamour for speed comes amid Nigeria's ongoing fight against terrorism, with Ansaru linked to prison breaks and kidnappings.