The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Thursday sentenced three persons to death by hanging for terrorism-related offences, while others received life imprisonment and long jail terms in the ongoing mass trial of terror suspects.
The convicts — Danladi Lawal, Abdullahi Mohammed and Mohammed Gulama Shaibu — were handed capital punishment after pleading guilty to charges filed against them by the Federal Government.
Justice James Omotosho sentenced Lawal, also known as Dankawu, to death by hanging on one of the five counts preferred against him. The judge also imposed 30 years’ imprisonment on count one, 15 years on count two, life imprisonment on count three, and another life sentence on count five.
Lawal, 33, from Maikaho village in Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina State, was found guilty of abducting an elderly man in 2020 and detaining him for four days in a bush hideout in Ilela, where he demanded a ransom of N950,000.
The court held that the act violated provisions of the Terrorism (Prevention Amendment) Act, 2013. He was also convicted for receiving N450,000 as part of the ransom proceeds.
“May God have mercy on you,” Justice Omotosho said while delivering judgment.
In a separate ruling, Justice Salim Ibrahim sentenced Abdullahi Mohammed and Mohammed Gulama Shaibu to death by hanging after they pleaded guilty to the charges against them.
Shaibu was further handed life imprisonment on an additional count.
Also, Mohammed Sherife was sentenced to life imprisonment on multiple counts after admitting to a 10-count charge bordering on terrorism offences.
In a related development, the court sentenced Shamsudeen Muhammad Ibrahim, also known as Abu Harira, to life imprisonment for supporting the Islamic State West Africa Province.
The court found that Ibrahim received terrorist training and indoctrination linked to ISWAP and failed to disclose information about the group’s activities, contrary to the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Similarly, Justice Emeka Nwite sentenced another defendant, Lawi Abubakar Mohammed, to a total of 40 years’ imprisonment.
The judge ordered that he serve 20 years on each of the two counts consecutively, beginning from the date of his arrest, and directed that he undergo rehabilitation and deradicalisation after completing his sentence.
The convictions form part of the Federal Government’s intensified prosecution of terrorism suspects under Nigeria’s strengthened anti-terrorism laws, as authorities continue efforts to curb insecurity across the country.
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