The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced the mother and sister of a suspected bandit leader, Battujo, to 20 years imprisonment each for aiding terrorism-related activities and concealing information that could have led to his arrest.
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The convicts, Halima Abdullahi and Safiya Salihu, were found guilty after admitting to charges brought against them by the Federal Government under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Justice Hawa Joseph Yilwa handed down the verdict on Friday after both women pleaded guilty during their arraignment.
Halima, a resident of Dungun Mu’aza in Sabuwa Local Government Area of Katsina State, admitted to assisting her son by relaying information to him through telephone communications despite knowing he was a wanted bandit leader. The offence attracted a 20-year prison term.
The court also convicted her for withholding information about her son’s activities from security agencies, despite being aware that such information could aid his arrest. She received another 20-year sentence on that count.
Similarly, Safiya, who is Battujo’s sister, was sentenced to 20 years for aiding and abetting the activities of the suspected bandit kingpin and another 20 years for failing to disclose information about him to authorities.
According to court documents, Safiya had visited the suspect’s forest hideout and allegedly saw him in possession of firearms but failed to report the information to law enforcement agencies.
Although both women were initially sentenced to a total of 40 years each, the trial judge ordered that the prison terms run concurrently following an appeal for leniency by their counsel, Dauda Hassan of the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria.
The lawyer urged the court to temper justice with mercy, citing the convicts’ status as first-time offenders and their ages.
Justice Yilwa subsequently ruled that the sentences should take effect from February 2026, when the duo were arrested, meaning each convict will effectively serve 20 years in prison.
The Federal Government, represented by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), withdrew three additional counts filed against the defendants after they entered guilty pleas to the two charges.
The withdrawn charges included allegations that the women received proceeds of terrorism amounting to N490,300 and accepted sponsorship from the suspected bandit kingpin for a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.
The court struck out the withdrawn counts after granting the prosecution’s application.
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