BY SUNDAY SAMUEL—A Sokoto State High Court has imposed the death penalty on three men, including a citizen of Niger Republic, after convicting them of offences related to terrorism and the illegal movement of firearms.
The individuals, identified as Yusuf Muhammad, popularly known as Sallau, Jabbi Alhaji Yalle, and Kabiru Muhammad, were arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) Counter-Terrorism Unit on June 13, 2025. Investigators linked them to cross-border criminal operations involving arms smuggling and terrorist activities.
The trial, filed under case number SS/45C/2026, was heard before Justice Muhammad Nuraddeen Bello at High Court No. 23 in Sokoto.
In his ruling, Justice Bello held that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and consequently sentenced the three defendants to death by hanging. The court also directed that all funds recovered from the convicts during the investigation be forfeited to the Federal Government.
The judge noted that the verdict adds to the growing number of successful prosecutions secured by the DSS in its campaign against terrorism and transnational criminal networks operating across Nigeria’s borders.
The development comes shortly after the Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced five men to 25 years imprisonment each over their involvement in the November 21, 2025 attack on St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State.
The suspects, who were arrested by the DSS on May 31, 2026, included two Nigerien nationals. They pleaded guilty to four counts connected to terrorism offences before Justice Binta Nyako, who subsequently handed down the sentences.
According to court documents, the charges involved providing support for terrorist operations in violation of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and the Firearms Act.
One of the counts alleged that the defendants conspired to facilitate the delivery of 15 AK-103 rifles and about 1,434 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition from the Diffa region of Niger Republic to Malam Ahmad, said to be a member of the Boko Haram insurgent group operating in Borgu, Niger State.
Prosecutors argued that the accused knowingly participated in the arrangement, an act deemed contrary to the provisions of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
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