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From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court has convicted and sentenced 11 Boko Haram members to various jail terms ranging from 60 to 40 years imprisonment on offences that were brought under the Terrorism (Prohibition and Prevention) Act.
Justice Egwuatu, however, said their sentence would run concurrently commencing from the date of their arrest.
Those convicted to various jail terms are :Musa Mustapha; Ali Mohammed; Babagana Ali; Abacha Abba; Ali Abbagana Umar; Kadi Agwala; Yahaya Umara; Alhaji Ari; Goni Mustapha; Ali Modu and Alhaji Fannaya.
Justice Egwuatu ordered that the convicts are to be rehabilitated and de-radicalized after serving their various jail terms.
They were docked on various count charges ranching to belonging to a proscribed organization known as the Boko Haram sect and rendering materials and logistics support to members of the group.
The convicts were sentenced upon their confession to the offences in open court as well as in their extra judicial statements.
Justice Egwuatu in handing down their various jail terms, held that court is allowed to summarily convicts the defendants upon an admission of quilt without calling on the prosecution to prove his case.
The Judge added that the court can convict an accused upon his confessional statement.
In the case of Alhaji Fannaya, a Boko Haram member from Bama Local Government, Borno State, he was convicted and sentenced to 20 years on each of the four-count charge against him.
This was after he pleaded to four out of the five count charges.
Abacha Abba, a confessed Boko Haram member from Dikwa L(G Borno state , was convicted and sentenced to 20 years on each of the three- count charges,including conveying weapons to members of the sect and receiving training instructions on weapon handling.
On his part, Ali Babagana Umar was convicted and sentenced to 20 years on each of the two-counts charges,including rendering support to Boko Haram members.
Kadi Agwala of Dikwa LG, Borno state, was sentenced and convicted to 20 years on each of the two-counts for rendering support to members of Boko Haram.
In another court, Justice Peter Lifu sentenced a Boko Haram terrorist victim, Ali Kolo, to nine years imprisonment after spending more than 10. years in the detention.
Kolo, who was shot in the right leg by Boko Haram terrorist in Borno state while going to report the activities of the terrorists to the military, was on Thursday, found guilty of failure to report activities of the dreaded terrorists to security agents.
The Boko Haram victim was put on trial by the FG on 4 count charges, but, pleaded guilty to only one count charge which boarders on concealment of information on the activities of the terrorists group in Borno state.
The prosecution counsel, David Kaswe, told Justice Lifu that the defendant in 2017, failed to convey information on the activities of the terrorists to the military or any other security agency as required by the provision of Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act, 2013.
The lawyer, a Deputy Director in the Federal Ministry of Justice tendered the extra-judicial statement where the convict admitted failure to relay information on the terror group to the appropriate quarters as well as investigation report which indicted him for refusal to help the Federsl Government in curbing activities of terrorists.
Justice Lifu admitted the two exhibits following no objection from the defence counsel, Mrs A.O Usman.
Kaswe consequently, pleaded with the judge to impose a jail term of ten years on the defendant based on his guilty plea and his confession in his statement to the military and the investigation report that indicted him.
However, the defendant who was 37 years when the terrorists shattered his right leg with bullets informed the court that he was shot with an AK-47 gun while on his way to report the terrorists to the military.
The defendant, through his lawyer ,Usman explained that his journey to report the terror group was cut short because he landed in the hospital as a result of the gun injury and pleaded with the judge to be lenient with him.
In his judgement, Justice Lifu agreed that the defendant didn’t report the activities of the terror group to the military but held that it was due to circumstances beyond the control of the convict.
Justice Lifu consequently, sentenced him to nine years imprisonment and ordered that the sentence should start from 2017 when the defendant was arrested and clamped into detention.
Justice Lifu held that by prison law, the convict had already spent more than 10yrs in detention and must therefore, be immediately released from custody to enable him attend to his injury occasioned by Boko Haram gun shots.
Although the government lawyer expressed reservation on the verdict of the court, Justice Lifu stood his ground that the convict was not found guilty for Boko Haram membership or training in weapons but, was found guilty only on concealment of information.
The judge held that the convict had suffered enough and must be released immediately upon his signing of warrant for his release adding that keeping him further in prison would amount to double jeopardy.
In another development, Ibrahim Buba, a Borno state based bricklayer was jailed 10 years for failure to relay information on the activities of Boko haram in Borno state to the military.
Bubba, also known as Baba Gana, has in his defence claimed that he ran from Borno to Mubi in Adamawa state and later to Onitsha in Anambra State when the terrorists were after his life having recognizing some of them.
in the two count charge, the convict admitted knowing two of the terrorists and that he did not pass information to the military and instead ran to Onitsha where he was apprehended in 2023 while engaging in bricklaying job.
the convict pleaded for leniency prompting Justice Lifu to impose a 10 years on him as against 20 years demanded by the prosecution.
Justice Lifu ordered that the 10 years jail term should start from March 24, 2023 when the convict was arrested and detained.
