A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced a Maiduguri-based Point of Sale operator, Umar Bashir, to 20 years’ imprisonment without the option of fine for financing terrorism linked to the Boko Haram insurgency.
The trial judge, Binta Nyako, handed down the verdict on Monday after the defendant pleaded guilty to the charge preferred against him by the Federal Government.
Bashir, who described himself as a perfume dealer and POS operator, admitted to facilitating a N5m transaction for a suspected member of the террорист group, identified as Ibrahim Modu, in 2025.
According to court proceedings, the convict received the funds through his United Bank for Africa account and subsequently transferred the same amount into an Access Bank account belonging to the террорист suspect.
He told the court that he earned a commission of N20,000 for the transaction.
Relying on his confessional statement and guilty plea, Justice Nyako found him culpable and sentenced him accordingly.
The judge ruled that the prison term would take effect from 2025, when the convict was arrested and remanded in custody.
She also rejected his plea for leniency, stressing that offences bordering on terrorism financing pose grave threats to national security and must be met with stiff penalties.
The conviction underscores ongoing efforts by authorities to clamp down on financial networks supporting insurgency in the North-East, particularly activities linked to Boko Haram.
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