- Sokoto court sentenced three men to death for terrorism and arms trafficking
- The convicts include a foreign national arrested by DSS operatives
- The court ordered forfeiture of all recovered funds to the government
A High Court in Sokoto State has sentenced three men, among them a foreign national, to death by hanging after finding them guilty of terrorism-related offences and illegal arms trafficking.
Eko Hot Blog gathered that the convicts are Yusuf Muhammad, also known as Sallau, a Nigerien; Jabbi Alhaji Yalle; and Kabiru Muhammad were arrested on June 13, 2025, by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) Counter Terrorism Unit over alleged cross-border criminal activities involving weapons smuggling and terrorism support.
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The trial, marked SS/45c/2026, was heard at High Court No. 23, presided over by Justice Muhammad Nuraddeen Bello.
In his ruling, Justice Bello held that the prosecution had successfully proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, leading to the conviction of all three defendants.
He subsequently sentenced them to death by hanging and ordered that all monetary exhibits recovered from them be forfeited to the Federal Government.
The judge noted that the ruling reflected ongoing efforts by security agencies, particularly the DSS, in tackling terrorism networks and cross-border criminal operations in the country.
This ruling comes shortly after another terrorism-related judgment in Abuja, where five individuals linked to the 2025 attack on St Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State, were sentenced to 25 years in prison.
In that case, Justice Binta Nyako convicted the defendants after they pleaded guilty to multiple terrorism charges connected to the supply of firearms and ammunition to Boko Haram-linked operatives.
The charges included conspiracy and aiding terrorist activities under provisions of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, as well as violations of the Firearms Act.
Authorities alleged that the convicts played roles in transporting 15 AK-103 rifles and over 1,400 rounds of ammunition from the Diffa region in the Republic of Niger to terrorist contacts operating in Borgu, Niger State.
Security operatives confirmed that the suspects were arrested at different locations during coordinated operations.
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