The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Tuesday, sentenced Awal Bello to 10 years in prison for exchanging N750,000 notes for Boko Haram during the currency redesign crisis in 2023.
The naira redesign policy implemented by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) between 2022 and early 2023 required people to swap their old N200, N500 and N1,000 notes with the newly designed versions which were in short supply at the time.
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Mr Bello was arrested and prosecuted for helping Boko Haram members swap currency notes totalling N750,000 during that period.
The judge, Binta Nyako, in a judgement, also sentenced Bello to 10 years imprisonment for paying N20,000 in tax to Boko Haram contrary to Section 21 of the Terrorism Prevention Act, 2013.
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Mrs Nyako, who found Bello guilty of the offence after he pleaded guilty to two counts preferred against him by the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), ordered that the sentences shall run concurrently.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the federal government charged Mr Bello as the sole defendant in the case marked FHC/KNJ/CR/563/2026.
In count one, Mr Bello of Mantari Village in the Bama Local Government Area of Borno State was alleged to have in 2023, rendered support by facilitating Nigerian currency notes of N750,000 to Boko Haram contrary to Section 13 of the Terrorism Prevention Act, 2013, which is punishable under the same Act.
In count two, he was accused of paying N20,000 in tax to the terrorist organisation contrary to Section 21 of Terrorism Prevention Act, 2013.
Mr Bello, who pleaded guilty to the charge, begged the court to temper justice with mercy.
Mrs Nyako ordered that Mr Bello be rehabilitated and deradicalised in addition to the 10-year jail term.
In another case involving Hamat Modu, who pleaded guilty to being a member of the Boko Haram group, Ms Nyako sentenced him to 10 years in jail for each of the four counts bordering on terrorism offences, following his guilty plea.
The judge, who directed that the counts must run concurrently, also ordered that Mr Modu should undergo rehabilitation and deradicalisation.
Also, Isah Ali, who was 18-year-old at the time of his arrest, pleaded not guilty to count one but pleaded guilty to count two of the two-count charge.
B. M. Jibo, lawyer to the federal government, applied that the court should strike out count one and accordingly convict Mr Ali on count two.
She urged the court to also admit his confessional statement and investigation report as exhibits.
Mr Ali, while pleading for mercy, said he was young when he was drafted into the terror group.
The defence lawyer, Aliyu Abubakar, the Director General, Legal Aid Council, also pleaded for mercy.
“The defendant was 18 years when he was arrested and had been in detention since three years now.
“It is another case of terrorism by association. We pleaded that the court should take this into consideration in sentencing him,” he begged.
Mrs Nyako struck out count one and then sentenced the defendant to 10 years’ imprisonment on count two and ordered for his rehabilitation and deradicalisation.
The judge, in another case, sentenced Shehu Bukar to 20 years imprisonment in count three in which he pleaded guilty out of the five counts preferred against him.
Count three accused him of rendering support as livestock rustler by selling goats to Boko Haram group contrary to Section 5 of Terrorism Prevention Act, 2013.
Mr Bukar, however, pleaded not guilty to other counts, including count two, which accused him of participating in a terrorist attack at Konduga in Borno State that killed scores of people.
A 43-year-old Alhaji Kulle was sentenced to a five-year jail term on counts one and three.There are three counts in all. The sentences are to run concurrently..
In count three, the prosecution accused Mr Kulle of paying N6,000 to Boko Haram weekly, knowing the money would be used to finance terrorism activities.
Mrs Nyako also sentenced Tasiu Yakubu to seven years in prison on one count.
The AGF and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), led the prosecution team, which included Rotimi Oyedepo, also a SAN and the Director of Public Prosecutions. They tendered Mr Yakubu’s confessional statement and investigation report as evidence before the court, urging the court to convict Yakubu in accordance with the law.
Mr Abubakar, the director-general of the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, did not object but prayed the court to temper justice with mercy since the defendant had been remorseful.
But Mr Fagbemi argued that based on Section 5 of the Terrorism Prevention Act, Mr Yakubu ought to be given 20 years’ imprisonment though his sentence can run from his date of arrest.
According to him, sentencing guidelines must follow the law.
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After listening to the parties, Mrs Nyako sentenced Mr Yakubu to seven-year jail term beginning from the date of his arrest. The judge also ordered that he be subjected to rehabilitation and deradicalisation.
In another development, Mrs Nyako sentenced Abdullahi Ali to 20 years’ imprisonment on one terrorism charge.
Mr Ali was accused of rendering support to the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) with logistic supply of fuel. He pleaded guilty to the offence.
The offence is said to be contrary to Section 13 and 13(b) of the Terrorism Prevention Act, 2013.
Mr Fagbemi urged the court to sentence him in accordance with the law.
The judge sentenced Mr Ali to 20 years in prison beginning from 20 November 2023, which was the date of his arrest.(NAN)
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