Court Sentences Mother, Sister Of Suspected Terrorist To 40 Years Imprisonment

Justice Hauwa Yilwa of the Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced two women arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) for terrorism-related offences to 40 years imprisonment.

The convicted women, Safiya Salihu and Halima Abdullahi, are the mother and sister of suspected terrorist kingpin Kachallah Ibrahim Battujo, who was killed by Nigerian security forces on June 10, 2026, in a forest near Iluke in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State.

The court sentenced the women after they pleaded guilty to counts two, four and five of a five-count charge filed against them by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation.

The court struck out counts one and three after the Director of Public Prosecution, Oyedepo Rotimi (SAN), applied to withdraw them.

The dismissed charges alleged that the women received ₦490,300 from Battujo, knowing it was proceeds of terrorism, and that they undertook a sponsored holy pilgrimage using funds linked to terrorist activities.

Count two stated that both women aided and abetted Battujo, a known bandit kingpin, by passing information to him through telephone conversations, an offence punishable under Section 26 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

In addition to pleading guilty to count two, Safiya Salihu admitted guilt to count five, which involved concealing information about her son’s terrorist activities.

Halima Abdullahi also pleaded guilty to count four, admitting that she concealed information about her brother’s illegal possession of firearms after seeing the weapons during a visit to his forest camp.

Although each offence carries a sentence of 20 years imprisonment, Justice Yilwa ordered that the prison terms run concurrently. The court also directed that both convicts undergo rehabilitation after serving their sentences.