The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday sentenced two women arrested for terrorism-related offences to 20 years imprisonment each.
The prosecution, during the pre-judgement review of the case on Friday, said the convicts, Safiya Salihu and Halima Abdullahi, are the mother and sister, respectively, of Kachallah Ibrahim Battujo, a notorious bandit leader killed by security forces on 10 June in a forest near Iluke in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
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PREMIUM TIMES reported that the Kogi State Government confirmed the killing of Kachalla Battijo, a suspected bandit leader accused of masterminding the recent attack on Government Secondary School (GSS), Iluke, in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of the state.
The Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, disclosed this on Tuesday during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.
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Mr Fanwo said the suspected bandit leader was among several criminals killed during a coordinated security operation involving multiple security agencies.
He said security operatives tracked the group after intelligence reports linked them to attacks and attempted abductions in parts of Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area.
According to him, the operation involved the military, police, the SSS and local security outfits working in synergy to dismantle criminal networks operating in forested areas of the state.
He added that the operation followed an attempted attack on Government Secondary School, Iluke, which security forces later repelled.
The commissioner said the government confirmed Battijo’s death after security agencies verified the outcome of the operation.
Court sentences mother and sister
On Friday, Judge Hauwa Joseph Yilwa imposed sentences on Ms Salihu and Ms Abdullahi – mother and daughter arrested by the State Security Service (SSS) – after both women admitted guilt to Counts 2, 4 and 5 of the five terrorism charges brought against them filed against them by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation.
Both women escaped conviction on Counts 1 and 3, which alleged that they received N490,300 from Battujo knowing it was proceeds of terrorism and accepted sponsorship for Hajj pilgrimage from funds they reasonably ought to have known were linked to terrorism.
The Director of Public Prosecution, Oyedepo Rotimi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), asked the court to strike out the two counts and convict the defendants on the remaining charges.
According to Count 2, the women aided and abetted Battujo’s activities by passing information to him through telephone conversations.
The charge alleged that they “aided and abetted the activities of Battujo, a known bandit kingpin, and passed information through telephone conversations” to him.
In addition to Count 2, Safiya Salihu admitted guilt to Count 5, which accused her of concealing information about the terrorism activities of her son despite possessing information that could have assisted security agencies in apprehending him.
Halima Abdullahi admitted guilt to Count 4, which accused her of concealing information that her brother possessed firearms after she saw the weapons during a visit to his forest camp.
READ ALSO: Kogi confirms killing of bandit leader linked to school attack
The prosecution maintained that the information withheld by the women could have materially assisted law enforcement agencies in securing Battujo’s arrest.
The offences were brought under relevant provisions of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Although each of the counts attracted a punishment of 20 years imprisonment, Judge Yilwa ordered that the sentences run concurrently.
The court also directed that the convicts undergo rehabilitation after serving their prison terms.
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