Court Jails Five Terrorism Convicts 25 Years Each Over Arms Supply to Boko Haram
The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced five convicted terrorists to 25 years imprisonment each for their involvement in supplying weapons and ammunition to members of the Boko Haram terrorist group operating in parts of Niger and Kwara states.
The convicts, prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS), include two citizens of the Republic of Niger and three Nigerians from Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State.
They are Yusuf Mohammed (alias Bature), Goni Ibrahim Bindi (alias Goni Mutuwa), Sani Tukur (alias Danladi), Mubarak Ibrahim, and Musa Alhaji Adamu (alias Gado Banufe).
Justice Binta Fatima Nyako handed down the sentences on Thursday after the defendants pleaded guilty to a four-count charge bordering on terrorism financing, arms trafficking, unlawful possession of firearms, and concealment of information relating to terrorist activities.
The court convicted the five men on charges of conspiracy and providing support to Boko Haram terrorists by facilitating the transportation of arms and ammunition from the Diffa Region of the Republic of Niger into Nigeria.
Justice Nyako sentenced all five convicts to 25 years imprisonment each on Counts One and Two, which related to conspiracy and rendering support to a terrorist organisation.
On Count Three, which bordered on unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition, four of the defendants — Goni Ibrahim Bindi, Sani Tukur, Mubarak Ibrahim, and Musa Alhaji Adamu — were each sentenced to seven years imprisonment.
The first defendant, Yusuf Mohammed, was also sentenced to an additional 25 years imprisonment on Count Four for concealing information about the activities and whereabouts of a Boko Haram member identified as Malam Ahmad, who was allegedly operating from the Gandu Forest in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State.
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The court ordered that all sentences run concurrently from the date of the convicts’ arrest.
Justice Nyako further directed that the convicts serve their jail terms in correctional facilities designated by the Minister of Interior.
Arms Cache Recovered
The prosecution told the court that the defendants conspired between February and April 2026 to transport 15 AK-103 rifles and 1,434 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition from Niger Republic to a Boko Haram operative in Niger State.
During the operation that led to their arrest, security operatives intercepted a blue Volkswagen Golf vehicle bearing Republic of Niger registration number BT 9990 DA, in which the weapons were concealed inside sacks loaded with dried fish.
The DSS tendered the firearms, magazines, ammunition, investigation reports, and the defendants’ confessional statements as exhibits before the court.
The exhibits were admitted without objection from defence counsel.
Following the conviction, Justice Nyako ordered the forfeiture of the vehicle used in transporting the weapons, along with all recovered arms and ammunition, to the Federal Government.
DSS Secures Conviction
According to the DSS, investigations revealed that the convicts played various roles in a cross-border arms trafficking network supplying weapons to terrorists operating within Nigeria.
The charges were filed under relevant provisions of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and the Firearms Act.
Security experts described the conviction as a significant milestone in ongoing efforts to dismantle terrorist logistics networks and disrupt the flow of illegal arms into the country.
The judgment comes amid intensified operations by Nigerian security agencies targeting terrorist groups, arms traffickers, and criminal networks operating across Nigeria’s northern region and neighbouring countries.
By PRNigeria
