- Ex-Borno Senatorial Candidate Jailed for Assisting Boko Haram Operations
- The convict pleaded for leniency, telling the court he had spent over 10 years in detention without contact with his family
- The judge also ordered that Habeeb be released immediately after completing his sentence
A former senatorial candidate in Borno State, Babagana Habeeb, has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment by the Federal High Court in Abuja for aiding terrorism by supplying petrol to Boko Haram.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the conviction was delivered by Peter Lifu on a one-count charge filed by the Federal Government.
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Habeeb, a fuel dealer based in Maiduguri, had pleaded guilty to the charge, admitting that petrol was sold to the insurgent group, though he claimed the transactions may have been carried out by attendants at his filling station.
During the trial, the convict pleaded for leniency, telling the court he had spent over 10 years in detention without contact with his family, which includes his two wives and six children.
However, prosecution counsel, David Kaswe, opposed the plea, arguing that the fuel supplied enabled Boko Haram to carry out deadly attacks, leading to loss of lives and displacement of many people.
In his judgment, Justice Lifu noted that there was no evidence linking Habeeb to active membership of the terrorist group or involvement in combat operations. He, however, held that supplying fuel constituted support for terrorism.
The court sentenced him to 10 years imprisonment but ruled that the term would run from the date of his arrest, taking into account the time already spent in custody.
The judge also ordered that Habeeb be released immediately after completing his sentence and be enrolled in a rehabilitation programme.
