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After 17 months of investigation and prosecution, the Kebbi state Police Command has secured the conviction of 19 people on charges of terrorism, illegal possession of firearms and vandalism of critical national infrastructure.
Justice Emmanuel Gakko of the Federal High Court, Birnin Kebbi Judicial Division, delivered the judgment Thursday, bringing to a close a prosecution that began following an intelligence-led operation across Yauri, Bagudo, Sakaba, and other flashpoints to apprehend criminals.
Two terrorism kingpins, Aliyu Hadari and Umar Musa Uzzi, were found guilty on three count charge of terrorism, providing logistics to an armed terrorist group, and conspiracy to commit terrorism, contrary to the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
They were intercepted along Yauri road while driving a vehicle specially acquired to convey kidnap victims to their forest hideout.
They were sentenced to 15 years imprisonment on each count, while the court further ordered the forfeiture of the vehicle and a Bajaj motorcycle to the federal government, having established the fact that they are instruments and proceeds of terrorism.
Eleven people were convicted for unlawful possession of firearms, while 11 types of firearms were recovered, including locally fabricated pistols such as Beretta, as well as dane guns.
Those convicted include Mr. Ripin Liu, a Chinese national arrested with a locally made Beretta pistol, who was sentenced to 6 years imprisonment with an option of a fine, Mohammed Bello Ibrahim (alias Banki), sentenced to 4 years imprisonment without an option of a fine and Abubakar Siddi, sentenced to 3 years imprisonment without an option of a fine.
The rest are Mohammed Bako, Bello Dantiye, Aliyu Dandaula, and Abubakar Usman, sentenced to 3 years imprisonment each without an option of a fine, Buba Alhaji Umaru, who was arrested in Bagudo LGA after crossing into Nigeria from a neighbouring country with a locally fabricated pistol, sentenced to 3 years imprisonment, John Zweme, sentenced to 2 years and 6 months imprisonment with an option of fine while Aliyu Bako and Sani Alaramma, received 2 years of imprisonment each with an option of a fine.
The Court also convicted six economic saboteurs, Sani Tanko, Ibrahim Hamza, Samson Sunday, Abdulrahman Isah, Adamu Musa, and Masudu, for vandalising and stealing electric cables in Sakaba LGA, that plunged the entire community into darkness.
They were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment ranging from 3 to 8 years.
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