A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced two women—identified as Safiya Salihu and Halima Abdullahi—to 40 years imprisonment each for their roles in supporting terrorism-related activities linked to a suspected bandit kingpin, Kachallah Ibrahim Battujo.
Justice Hauwa Yilwa handed down the judgment on Thursday after both defendants, who were arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS), pleaded guilty to counts bordering on aiding and abetting terrorism as well as concealment of critical information about terrorist operations.
The Office of the Attorney General of the Federation prosecuted the case.
The convicts, said to be the mother and sister of the late Battujo—who was reportedly neutralised by security forces on June 10, 2026, in a forest near Iluke in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State—were convicted on counts two, four and five of the five-count charge.
The court, however, struck out counts one and three after the prosecution, led by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Oyedepo Rotimi, SAN, urged their withdrawal.
According to the charge, both women were found to have aided and abetted the activities of the deceased bandit leader by passing sensitive information through telephone conversations, in violation of Section 26 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Halima Abdullahi, in addition to the conspiracy count, was convicted for concealing information regarding illegal firearms allegedly acquired by her brother after she reportedly visited his forest hideout.
Safiya Salihu was also found guilty of concealing knowledge of her son’s terrorist activities and failing to report same to security authorities.
The court further held that Safiya had received ₦490,300 from Battujo, which she reasonably ought to have known were proceeds of terrorism, while also benefiting from sponsorship for a religious pilgrimage linked to such proceeds.
While each count attracts a 20-year sentence, Justice Yilwa ordered that the terms run concurrently. She also directed that the convicts undergo rehabilitation after serving their sentences.
The DSS had earlier linked the defendants to a wider support network allegedly used by Battujo to sustain operations across parts of Katsina and neighbouring states before his death.
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