The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday sentenced two women arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) for terrorism-related offences to 40 years imprisonment each.
The convicts, Safiya Salihu and Halima Abdullahi, are the mother and sister respectively of notorious terrorist kingpin, Kachallah Ibrahim Battujo, who was killed by security forces on June 10, 2026, in a forest near Iluke in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
Justice Hauwa Joseph Yilwa delivered the judgement after both defendants pleaded guilty to Counts 2, 4 and 5 of a five-count charge filed by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation.
They were, however, discharged of Counts 1 and 3, which involved allegations of receiving N490,300 from Battujo knowing it was proceeds of terrorism, as well as receiving sponsorship for a religious pilgrimage allegedly funded through terrorist proceeds.
The prosecution, led by Director of Public Prosecutions, Oyedepo Rotimi, SAN, had earlier urged the court to withdraw the two counts while seeking conviction on the remaining charges.
Count 2 stated that the defendants aided and abetted the activities of Battujo, a known bandit leader, and exchanged information with him through telephone conversations, an offence punishable under Section 26 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
In addition to their plea of guilt on Count 2, Battujo’s mother also admitted to Count 5, which bordered on concealing information about her son’s terrorist activities.
Similarly, the sister of the deceased kingpin pleaded guilty to Count 4, which involved concealing information about illegal firearms she reportedly saw during a visit to his forest camp.
Although each count carries a 20-year sentence, Justice Yilwa ordered that the sentences run concurrently. The court also directed that the convicts undergo rehabilitation after serving their jail terms.
