A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced three convicted terrorists to death by hanging, while two others received life imprisonment for various terrorism-related offences.
The convictions followed guilty pleas entered by the defendants during ongoing terrorism trials initiated by the Federal Government.
One of the convicts, 33-year-old Danladi Lawal, also known as Dankawu, was sentenced by Justice James Omotosho after pleading guilty to a five-count charge. The court imposed a 30-year prison term on count one, 15 years on count two, life imprisonment on count three, death by hanging on count four, and life imprisonment on count five.
Justice Omotosho, while delivering judgment, prayed for mercy on the convict.
According to court documents, Lawal, a native of Maikaho Village in Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina State, was accused of participating in the abduction of an elderly man in 2020. The victim was reportedly held in a forest hideout in Ilela for four days while the kidnappers demanded a ransom of ₦950,000 from his family, an act the prosecution described as terrorism intended to instill fear and insecurity within the community.
The court found that the offence violated provisions of the Terrorism (Prevention Amendment) Act, 2013. Lawal was also convicted for receiving ₦450,000 from the ransom proceeds, resulting in an additional life sentence.
In separate proceedings before Justice Salim Ibrahim, Abdullahi Mohammed and Mohammed Gulama Shaibu were also sentenced to death after admitting guilt to terrorism charges.
Mohammed was convicted on a one-count charge, while Shaibu pleaded guilty to a two-count charge. Shaibu received a death sentence on the first count and life imprisonment on the second.
Justice Ibrahim further sentenced Mohammed Sherife to life imprisonment on counts two, six and eight of a 10-count charge after he pleaded guilty to terrorism offences brought against him by the Federal Government.
In another related case, Justice Omotosho sentenced Shamsudeen Muhammad Ibrahim, also known as Abu Harira, to life imprisonment for supporting the activities of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and a further 35-year jail term for failing to disclose information about the operations of terrorist groups.
The court heard that Ibrahim received training and ideological instruction linked to extremist organisations and failed to report information concerning the activities of ISWAP and Ansaru to security authorities.
Meanwhile, Justice Emeka Nwite sentenced Lawi Abubakar Mohammed to 20 years imprisonment on each of two terrorism-related counts. The sentences are to run consecutively, amounting to a total of 40 years behind bars.
The judge ordered that Mohammed’s prison term should begin from the date of his arrest and directed that he undergo rehabilitation and deradicalisation programmes before being reintegrated into society upon completion of his sentence.
The judgments form part of the Federal Government’s ongoing prosecution of terrorism suspects across the country.
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