Zorena Jantze
JONA Hangula, a 32-year-old Namibian from Grootfontein, accused of working with global terrorist organisations ISIS and Boko Haram with the aim of overthrowing the Namibian government, has been denied bail.
Hangula is charged under the Prevention and Combating of Terrorist and Proliferation Activities Act, Act 4 of 2014, as well as with treason and contravening the Immigration Control Act, Act 7 of 1993.
High Court Judge Eileen Rakow explained that the court’s biggest concern, and the main reason for refusing the current bail application, is that the court is not convinced Hangula intends to stand trial.
“He previously had more than one valid passport at any given time; he seems to have access to foreign currency; he explained how he moved across the border with Angola without being observed; he sympathises with ISIS and other Muslim radical groups operating in Africa; and he expressed his wishes to make ‘hijrah’ to areas held by or under attack by ISIS,” Judge Rakow said.
She further explained that Hangula received foreign currency from his ‘brothers in faith’ and, therefore, has access to people willing to assist or provide him with foreign currency. As such, money would not be an obstacle if he attempted to flee. According to records handed up by the State, Hangula exchanged N$784,029.80 in foreign currency. In his FNB account at the Grootfontein branch, he received approximately N$3,389,071.58, which he did not testify about during his evidence-in-chief. He had another FNB account in which he received a further N$128,400 between May 2020 and September 2023.
During bail proceedings, the State presented voluminous digital evidence against Hangula, who is said to have unknowingly chatted with an undercover Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent from the United States, in which he allegedly expressed plans to spread terror in Namibia.
Two senior Namibian police officials, namely Head of the Namibia Forensic Science Institute (NCIS) Nelius Becker and Deputy Commissioner Eimo Dumeni Popyeinawa, provided evidence in the matter.
In the gallery of Hangula’s phone were numerous photographs of the Black Flag, a symbol adopted by many Islamist and jihadist groups, including ISIS, as well as images of ISIS soldiers carrying the Black Flag. He also used various aliases, including Jimmy Nuh, Abu Nuh, and simply Nuh.
“The court was also shown a number of images and videos recovered from the cellphones of the applicant. This shows the applicant’s support for ISIS as well as other radical extremist Muslim militant groups such as Boko Haram and Mozambican ISIS. He received numerous postings of ISIS propaganda, which he then further distributed. His phones also contained numerous videos of beheadings and shootings, summary executions by mainly ISIS. Mixed into these photos are photos of the applicant and of Windhoek,” Judge Rakow said.
She added that in his conversations with the FBI agent, Hangula expressed a wish to make ‘hijrah’ to areas held by or under attack by ISIS. He further indicated that he supports Sharia law and opposes democracy in countries ruled by the ‘kuffar’, or non-believers. In one conversation with the FBI agent, Hangula explained how he moved through the border without being seen.
