The federal high court in Abuja has convicted and sentenced four persons to varying prison terms for allegedly supplying items to Boko Haram terrorists in Borno state.
The convicts are Shehu Bukar, Hamzat Yahuza, Hamatu Modu, and Isah Ali.
Bukar, a father of three, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for selling goats to Boko Haram insurgents in Borno state.
He initially pleaded not guilty to four out of five charges brought against him by the federal government. The prosecutor withdrew the charges to which he had pleaded not guilty, retaining count three, to which the father of three subsequently pleaded guilty.
Binta Nyako, the presiding judge, sentenced Bukar to 20 years in prison after rejecting his plea for leniency.
In a separate judgement, the court sentenced Yahuza, a father of six, to seven years’ imprisonment for selling Indian hemp and cigarettes to Boko Haram terrorists in Borno state.
Yahuza pleaded guilty to the charges of aiding and abetting terrorism and begged for forgiveness.
According to him, he supplied illicit drugs to insurgents operating in parts of Monguno LGA in the state.
Nyako ordered that Yahuza’s prison term should start counting from the day he was arrested and detained.
The judge also sentenced Modu to 40 years in prison after telling the court that he supplied food items and information to terrorists.
Modu was found guilty on all four counts and sentenced to 10 years on each, with the court ruling that the sentences should run concurrently, meaning he would serve only 10 years in jail.
Ali, another Boko Haram food supplier, was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment.
The three years spent in detention will be deducted from his jail term.
Nyako ordered that the defendants should undergo rehabilitation and deradicalisation programmes at the end of the jail terms.
Other judges who heard cases against terrorism suspects on Tuesday were Emeka Nwite, Musa Liman, Akpan Ekerete, and Mobolaji Olajuwon.
Lateef Fagbemi, attorney-general of the federation (AGF) and minister of justice; and Rotimi Oyedepo, the director of public prosecution of the federation (DPPF), represented the federal government during the trial.
Defendants were represented by lawyers from the National Legal Aid Council of Nigeria (NLACON), led by Aliyu Abubakar, the director-general.
The trial is expected to continue on Wednesday.
Speaking to journalists after the court proceedings, Fagbemi said phase 9 of the mass trial of terrorism suspects has started.
The AGF disclosed that over 500 suspects will be tried in the ongoing trial, adding that it would last till Friday or Saturday.
“It is our hope that of these 500, we will be able to go very far,” he said.
“We thank all the critical stakeholders for considering service to the nation first and forgoing the Easter vacation to be here.
“Due to logistics problems, it was not convenient to go to Kainji. We have more courtrooms here, as well as facilities.
“The same judges would have been ferried to Kainji. To have 10 judges at a time handling the cases means a lot to us.
“We have enablement in terms of law to sit here, and that is why we are sitting here.
“It is not a secret trial. We are here in the open, where confessions were made and proofs given in the public glare.”
