12 terrorists to die by hanging as SSS secures several convictions nationwide

Twelve defendants have been sentenced to death by hanging while many others were handed long prison terms in terrorism and kidnapping cases prosecuted by the State Security Service (SSS), court documents reviewed by PREMIUM TIMES have shown.

Those condemned to death were convicted of terrorism, conspiracy, kidnapping, murder, arms trafficking and aiding terrorist groups.

A highlight of the development is the 3 June sentence by the Federal High Court of Idris Omeiza, Alqasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik and Abdulhaleem Idris to death by hanging over the 5 June 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State.

Dozens of other defendants received sentences ranging from two years to life imprisonment in the terrorism trials held between 15 and 18 June and in different judgments delivered by the federal and state high courts.

The SSS charged the convicts with offences including terrorism, membership of Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), rendering support to terrorist organisations, gun running, concealment of information and terrorism financing.

12 death sentences

Convict(s)	Court/Date	Offence(s)	Sentence
Ibrahim Abubakar	Ekiti State High Court (20 May 2026)	Conspiracy to murder, murder and kidnapping	Death by hanging
Abdullahi Abubakar	Ekiti State High Court (20 May 2026)	Conspiracy to murder, murder and kidnapping	Death by hanging
Jibrin Halilu	Kogi State High Court (16 June 2026)	Conspiracy to kidnap and kidnapping resulting in the killing of victim Andrew Offo	Death by hanging
Hauwa’u Mukhtar	Katsina State High Court (15 June 2026)	Conspiracy, aiding and abetting terrorism by supplying ammunition to a bandit leader	Death by hanging
Yusuf Muhammad (aka Salau)	Sokoto State High Court (22 June 2026)	Criminal conspiracy, terrorism, arms trafficking and proliferation	Death by hanging
Jabbi Alhaji Yalle	Sokoto State High Court (22 June 2026)	Criminal conspiracy, terrorism, arms trafficking and proliferation	Death by hanging
Kabiru A. Maradun	Sokoto State High Court (22 June 2026)	Criminal conspiracy, terrorism, arms trafficking and proliferation	Death by hanging
Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza	Federal High Court (3 June 2026)	Terrorism, membership of a terrorist group, conspiracy and the 2022 Owo church attack	Death by hanging
Alqasim Idris	Federal High Court (3 June 2026)	Terrorism, membership of a terrorist group, conspiracy and the 2022 Owo church attack	Death by hanging
Jamiu Abdulmalik	Federal High Court (3 June 2026)	Terrorism, membership of a terrorist group, conspiracy and the 2022 Owo church attack	Death by hanging
Abdulhaleem Idris	Federal High Court (3 June 2026)	Terrorism, membership of a terrorist group, conspiracy and the 2022 Owo church attack	Death by hanging

Among those convicted during the June 15 to 18 mass trials, Abdullahi Mohammed Mustapha received the death sentence after being convicted on terrorism charges.

The remaining convicts received various prison terms depending on the offences established before the court.

Several of those convicted were found guilty of membership of Boko Haram or the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), while others were convicted for providing material support to terrorist groups, concealing information, gun running or participating in terrorist activities.

Long prison terms

The stiffest custodial sentence in the trials was imposed on Inuwa Bala, who was sentenced to 50 years’ imprisonment for gun running.

Saleh Idris was sentenced to 45 years for membership of Boko Haram.

Rabiu Umar and Ndukwe Iroha Kalu each received 40-year prison terms, although for different offences. Mr Umar was convicted of rendering support to terrorists, while Mr Kalu was convicted for membership of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

Shamsudeen Ibrahim received 35 years’ imprisonment for rendering support to terrorists.

Other lengthy sentences included:

Convict	Sentence	Offence
Yusuf Sani	30 years	Terrorism
Suleiman Halilu	25 years	Rendering support to terrorists
Usman Musa Yaman	25 years	Concealment and rendering support to terrorists
Ridwan Onasoga Abiodun	25 years	Membership of ISWAP
Isa Shuaibu	15 years	Not specified
Umar Muhammed	10 years	Concealment
Umar Bashiru	20 years	Concealment
Mohammed Shaffi Balarabe Umar	20 years	Terrorism
Alhaji Modu Ibrahim	20 years	Terrorism
Kyari Abubakar	20 years	Rendering support to terrorists
Modu Kurambe	20 years	Concealment of information on ISWAP
Babagana Tijani	20 years	Concealment
Halima Abdullahi	20 years	Aiding and abetting terrorism, concealment
Safiya Salihu	20 years	Aiding and abetting terrorism, concealment
Aisha Modu Aji	20 years	Rendering support to terrorists, concealment
Abdullahi Suleiman	15 years	Membership of Boko Haram
Rukayat Ohunene Ismaila	5 years	Concealment

The court documents further show that some prison terms commenced from the dates of arrest of the convicts, while others were to run concurrently where defendants were convicted on multiple counts.

One of the defendants, Abel Ugwuoke, was sentenced to 20 years on several counts and life imprisonment on two additional counts, according to the judgement.

IPOB-related convictions

The documents also show convictions involving offences linked to IPOB.

Among those convicted were:

Convictions over ammonium nitrate

Two defendants were also convicted of concealing information relating to the sale of ammonium nitrate.

Separate June convictions

Apart from the June mass trials, the SSS also secured several convictions in state high courts during the month.

Ekiti

On 20 May, the Ekiti State High Court sentenced Ibrahim Abubakar and Abdullahi Abubakar to death by hanging after their conviction for conspiracy to murder, murder and kidnapping.

According to the charge sheet, the defendants were accused of conspiring to murder a man identified as Taiwo Adesina after kidnapping him in March 2022.

Kogi

On 16 June, the Kogi State High Court sentenced Jibrin Halilu to death by hanging.

Court documents show he was charged with conspiracy to kidnap and kidnapping after investigators alleged he abducted hotel owner Andrew Offo, collected N2.5 million in ransom and killed the victim despite the payment.

The prosecution relied on witness testimony, the defendant’s extra-judicial statement and video evidence during the proceedings.

Katsina

On 15 June, the Katsina State High Court sentenced Hauwa’u Mukhtar to death by hanging.

She was convicted after prosecutors accused her of acting as an ammunition courier for a suspected bandit leader and transporting 438 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition intended for terrorist operations.

Sokoto

On 22 June, the Sokoto State High Court sentenced Yusuf Muhammad (alias Salau), Jabbi Yalle and Kabiru Maradun to death by hanging.

Court documents alleged they conspired to import and sell prohibited firearms, including AK-47 rifles, PKT machine guns and ammunition to armed groups operating in Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara and Katsina states.

Owo church attack

On 3 June, the Federal High Court sentenced Idris Omeiza, Alqasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik and Abdulhaleem Idris to death by hanging after their conviction over the 5 June 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State.

The charge accused the defendants of belonging to a terrorist group, planning the attack and participating in the assault that killed more than 40 worshippers and injured over 100 others.

Court documents indicate that a fifth defendant, Momoh Otuho Abubakar, also faced charges in the case.

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Previous wrongful detention reviews

The review of prolonged detention cases comes alongside the SSS’s ongoing prosecution of terrorism and other security-related offences. The service says it has also continued to re-examine inherited cases to ensure that individuals wrongly detained are identified and released.

Among the cases is that of Nura Idris, a Kaduna herder who was released in June after spending about two years in SSS custody over alleged links to Boko Haram.

Following a review that found no basis for the allegations, the service ordered his release and paid him N3 million in compensation.

Earlier, Sunday Ifedi was freed in December 2025 after investigators found no evidence linking him to the proscribed IPOB. He received N10 million in compensation, while the SSS also announced plans to rebuild a restaurant owned by his late wife, who died in custody.

The service said it has reviewed more than 30 inherited cases and paid over N300 million in compensation to individuals found to have been wrongfully detained. Other beneficiaries include Abuja businesswoman Chineze Ozoadibe, who received N10 million after her release in October 2025, Kenneth Nwafor and five others wrongly linked to IPOB, as well as Ya’u Mohammed of Yobe State, who received a N2 million reintegration support package after investigations cleared him of terrorism allegations.

Pattern of prosecutions

The June convictions reflect an increasing reliance on coordinated mass trials to dispose of terrorism-related cases involving alleged members or supporters of Boko Haram, ISWAP and other violent groups, as well as prosecutions involving kidnapping, illegal arms trafficking and offences linked to IPOB.

The convictions come days after the Federal Government commenced another round of mass terrorism trials at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

On 15 June, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, led the prosecution as more than 600 terrorism suspects were arraigned on charges including terrorism, membership of proscribed groups, terrorism financing and failure to disclose information on terrorist activities.

The latest proceedings followed an earlier phase of the mass trials conducted in April, during which government figures showed that 386 defendants were convicted, while two were acquitted and eight discharged. The June convictions formed part of that broader effort to prosecute terrorism-related offences through coordinated mass trials.