A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has sentenced the mother and sister of a suspected bandit kingpin, Battujo, to 40 years’ imprisonment each for aiding terrorism-related activities and concealing information that could have led to his arrest.
Delivering judgment on Friday, Justice Hawa Joseph Yilwa found Halima Abdullahi and Safiya Salihu guilty after both women admitted to charges brought against them by the Federal Government under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Halima Abdullahi, a resident of Dungun Mu’aza in Sabuwa Local Government Area of Katsina State, pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the activities of her son, Battujo, by passing information to him through telephone conversations. The offence is punishable under Section 26 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The court sentenced her to 20 years’ imprisonment on that count.
She was also convicted for concealing information about the activities of the suspected bandit kingpin, information the Federal Government said would have been of material assistance in securing his arrest by security agencies. For the offence, contrary to Section 16 of the Act, the court imposed an additional 20-year jail term.
Similarly, Safiya Salihu, Battujo’s blood sister, pleaded guilty to two charges bordering on aiding and abetting terrorism activities and concealing information about the activities of the bandit leader. She was also sentenced to 40 years’ imprisonment.
However, following a plea for leniency by their counsel, Dauda Hassan of the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, who urged the court to consider the convicts’ ages and their status as first-time offenders, Justice Yilwa ordered that the sentences run concurrently.
The judge further directed that the jail terms take effect from February 2026, the date of their arrest. As a result, both women will effectively serve 20 years each in prison.
During the proceedings, the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation (DPPF), Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, withdrew three additional charges against the defendants after they pleaded not guilty to them. The court subsequently struck out the charges.
The withdrawn counts included allegations that the defendants received N490,300 from Battujo, funds prosecutors alleged were proceeds of terrorism; accepted sponsorship for Hajj pilgrimage from the suspected bandit kingpin using funds linked to terrorism; and other related offences under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The convictions mark another significant prosecution under Nigeria’s anti-terrorism laws as authorities continue efforts to dismantle support networks linked to banditry and terrorism across the country.
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