A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced the mother and sister of a suspected bandit kingpin to 20 years imprisonment each after they admitted to aiding his activities and concealing information that could have led to his arrest.
The convicts, Halima Abdullahi and Safiya Salihu, were arraigned before Justice Hawa Joseph Yilwa on terrorism-related charges filed by the Federal Government.
Halima, a resident of Dungun Mu’aza in Sabuwa Local Government Area of Katsina State, pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the activities of her son, Battujo, a suspected bandit leader, by passing information to him through telephone conversations.
The offence is punishable under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
She was also convicted for failing to disclose information about her son’s activities despite knowing that such intelligence could assist security agencies in apprehending him.
The court sentenced her to 20 years imprisonment on each of the two counts.
Similarly, Safiya, Battujo’s sister, admitted guilt to charges bordering on aiding the suspected bandit and withholding information about his activities. She was equally handed two separate 20-year jail terms.
However, following an appeal for leniency by their counsel, Dauda Hassan of the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, who urged the court to consider their status as first-time offenders and their ages, Justice Yilwa ordered that the sentences run concurrently.
The judge further ruled that the prison terms should take effect from February 2026, when the two women were arrested.
The decision means both convicts will serve 20 years each rather than 40 years.
During the proceedings, the Federal Government, through the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), withdrew three additional charges against the defendants after they pleaded not guilty to them. The court subsequently struck out the counts.
The withdrawn charges included allegations of receiving proceeds linked to terrorism, accepting funds from the suspected bandit kingpin for a Hajj pilgrimage, and benefiting from money believed to have been generated through terrorist activities.
According to court documents, investigators alleged that the two women maintained contact with Battujo and provided support that aided his operations while also withholding information that could have facilitated his arrest by security agencies.