Five terrorists put on trial by the Department of State Services, DSS have been sentenced to 25 years imprisonment each by the Federal High Court in Abuja. The convicts were found guilty of complicity in various terror attacks across Niger and Kwara states.
The gang consists of two citizens of Niger Republic and three Nigerian counterparts, all of whom were based in the Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State.
The convicted terrorists were identified as Yusuf Mohammed (aka Bature), Goni Ibrahim Bindi (aka Goni Mutuwa), Sani Tukur (aka Danladi), Mubarak Ibrahim, and Musa Alhaji Adamu (aka Gado Banufe).
Justice Binta Nyako ordered their immediate imprisonment on Thursday after they were arraigned on a four-count terrorism charge. All five defendants pleaded guilty to the offenses brought against them.
On counts one and two, which bordered on conspiracy and rendering services to Boko Haram members within Borgu LGA, the judge slapped a 25-year jail term on each of the convicts.
For count three, where they admitted to the unlawful possession of firearms, Justice Nyako sentenced each of the five men to seven years in prison.
The convicts bagged another 25 years each on count four after pleading guilty to concealing vital information regarding the illicit activities of Boko Haram members inside a Niger State forest.
Alongside the prison sentences, Justice Nyako ordered the forfeiture of the gang’s Golf car, which they used to smuggle 15 AK-103 rifles from Niger Republic into Nigeria, to the Federal Government.
The comprehensive charges against the syndicate included rendering assistance to a terrorist group, illegal arms trafficking, and deliberate concealment of terrorism-related information.
Following their swift admission of guilt, the DSS prosecution counsel successfully prayed the court to convict the defendants and tendered the official investigation report alongside the suspects’ confessional statements.
The defense counsel raised no objections to the evidence, leading Justice Nyako to mark the files as exhibits and order the convicts to serve their terms at a facility designated by the Minister of Interior.
By Afolabi Mustapha
