BY SOLOMON OKPO
A High Court in Sokoto State has sentenced three men, including a Nigerien national, to death by hanging after finding them guilty of terrorism and illegal arms proliferation.
The convicts — Yusuf Muhammad, also known as Sallau, a citizen of the Republic of Niger, Jabbi Alhaji Yalle, and Kabiru Muhammad — were arrested on June 13, 2025, by the Department of State Services (DSS) Counter Terrorism Unit over their alleged involvement in cross-border arms trafficking and terrorist activities.
Justice Muhammad Nuraddeen Bello of High Court No. 23, Sokoto, delivered the judgment in Suit No. SS/45c/2026, holding that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
In addition to the death sentence, the court ordered the forfeiture to the Federal Government of all money recovered from the convicts during investigations.
The judgment marks another successful prosecution in the DSS’s ongoing crackdown on terrorism and organised cross-border criminal networks operating within and around Nigeria.
The ruling comes barely two weeks after the Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced five men, including two Nigeriens, to 25 years’ imprisonment each for terrorism-related offences linked to the November 21, 2025, attack on St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State.
Justice Binta Nyako handed down the sentence after the defendants pleaded guilty to four counts bordering on terrorism and firearms offences.
According to court documents, the convicts conspired to support a terrorist organisation by arranging the transportation of 15 AK-103 rifles and approximately 1,434 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition from the Diffa Region of the Republic of Niger to a suspected Boko Haram member identified as Malam Ahmad in Borgu, Niger State.
The offences contravened Sections 16 and 26(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, as well as provisions of the Firearms Act.
