A Nigerian Masters student, Somtochukwu Okwuoha, is facing the prospect of imprisonment and deportation after a jury found him guilty of making terrorist threats against Dundee University.
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Okwuoha, a 26-year-old international energy student, claimed to have hired members of ISIS to assist in bombing the university. He reportedly informed university staff about his plan to target the city with a chemical attack.
Following a trial, authorities found Somtochukwu Okwuoha guilty of seven charges, leading to his immediate incarceration. The 26-year-old is scheduled to be sentenced next month.
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Sheriff William Wood will also consider the Crown’s motion for an order to deport Okwuoha back to Nigeria. During the trial, it was revealed that Okwuoha had informed university staff of his intention to carry out mass murder on the Dundee University campus.
Witnesses recounted Okwuoha’s claims of having a military background and the capability to create bombs, as well as the potential to unleash a deadly virus in the city.
Keith Mackle, 58, a retired director of student services, testified at Perth Sheriff Court, expressing his awareness of “serious concerns” in the autumn of 2021. He mentioned that staff members had received emails containing terrorist threats.
One message reportedly stated, “Expect one massive bomb explosion for the University of Dundee. I have contacted Isis terrorists to plant bombs on campus. I assure you that staff and students will die in great numbers. 9/11 will be like a joke compared to what will happen. Blood will spill, and flesh will scatter.”
Accommodation officer Shane Taylor told the court that Okwuoha accused him of being racist and revealed his plan to wipe out Scottish people as revenge.
The court found Okwuoha, currently a prisoner in Perth, guilty of threatening to murder university staff and committing terrorist crimes between December 2021 and June 2022.
He was also convicted of threatening mass murder, using biological weapons, revealing staff details to international authorities, and claiming to have planted bombs. Additionally, Okwuoha was found guilty of threatening to behead police officers and detonate bombs he allegedly placed at Dundee University.
The sentencing next month will determine the consequences for the convicted student. Authorities are also weighing the option of deporting Somtochukwu Okwuoha back to Nigeria.
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