The Department of State Services (DSS) says it will challenge the life sentences imposed on two senior commanders of the Ansaru terrorist group by a federal high court in Abuja.
Emeka Nwite, presiding judge, sentenced the two men to life imprisonment on Monday after they pleaded guilty to a 32-count terrorism charge.
The convicts are Mahmud Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a/Abbas/Mukhtar, described as the self-styled Emir of Ansaru, and Mahmud al-Nigeri (a.k.a Malam Mamuda), his deputy and chief of staff.
The judge handed down the sentence after the convicts changed their plea from not guilty to guilty and, through their lawyer, appealed for leniency.
A senior DSS official, speaking after the judgement, said the agency considers the punishment inadequate given the gravity of the offences.
According to the official, the two men had initially indicated they would plead guilty but later changed their position around the period pupils and teachers were abducted in Oriire LGA of Oyo state by suspected members of the same group.
“For the nearly 60 days the kidnappers held on to the pupils and teachers of Oriire, the Ansaru commanders in our custody changed,” the official said.
“One of the top conditions the abductors gave was the unconditional release of these same Ansaru commanders in exchange for the Oriire kidnap victims.”
The DSS official said the defendants, who had earlier pleaded not guilty, later told the court they were undecided on the plea they intended to enter.
“Justice Nwite even had to hand them an ultimatum to make up their minds on or before Monday’s sitting.
“After the Oriire rescue, they came to court to plead guilty to all the charges.
“Allowing the two terror commanders walk away with life sentences will not serve the cause of justice for the two Oriire teachers beheaded by their abductors.
“The reason the terrorists beheaded the two Oriire teachers was to put pressure on government to release these two Ansaru commanders.
“It, therefore, wouldn’t be fair to see two men beheaded and their families are made to live with the losses without adequately bringing the culprits to book.”
