The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced the mother and sister of slain terrorist kingpin, Kachallah Ibrahim Battujo, to 40 years’ imprisonment for terrorism-related offences following their arrest by the Department of State Services (DSS).
The two convicts, Safiya Salihu and Halima Abdullahi, were found guilty after pleading to charges linked to aiding terrorist activities and concealing information that could have assisted security agencies in apprehending the notorious bandit leader before his death.
Battujo was eliminated by Nigerian security forces on 10 June 2026 following a failed attempt to carry out a mass abduction and attack on students sitting for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in a forest near Iluke in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
Delivering judgment on Friday, Justice Hauwa Joseph Yilwa convicted the two women on counts two, six and five of a five-count terrorism charge filed by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation.
The court, however, struck out counts one and three after the Director of Public Prosecution, Mr Oyedepo Rotimi, SAN, applied for their withdrawal.
The affected counts alleged that the defendants received N490,300 from Battujo, knowing it to be proceeds of terrorism, and also benefited from sponsorship for a Hajj pilgrimage funded with proceeds of terrorist activities.
According to Count two, both women were accused of aiding and abetting the activities of Battujo by passing information to him through telephone conversations.
The charge stated that they: “aided and abetted the activities of Battujo, a known bandit Kingpin and passed information through telephone conversations to the said Battujo, and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 26 of the Terrorism (Prevention Prohibition) Act, 2022.”
In addition to admitting guilt on Count two, Safiya Salihu pleaded guilty to count five, which related to concealing information about the terrorist activities of her son.
Halima Abdullahi, on her part, pleaded guilty to count four, which concerned her failure to report information regarding firearms allegedly possessed by her brother after she visited his forest camp.
The charge alleged that she concealed information about Battujo’s activities despite being aware of facts that could have materially assisted security agencies in securing his arrest.
Justice Yilwa sentenced both women to 20 years’ imprisonment on each of the counts for which they were convicted. The court, however, ordered that the sentences run concurrently.
The judge further directed that the convicts undergo rehabilitation after serving their prison terms.
