Blessing Bello, Reporting
ABUJA – A Federal High Court in the Nigerian capital has sentenced the mother and sister of a suspected terrorist Kingpin to 40 years’ imprisonment each, after the pair admitted to aiding his deadly activities.
Justice Hauwa Yilwa handed down the sentences on Friday after Safiya Salihu and Halima Abdullahi pleaded guilty to multiple terrorism-related charges brought by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation.
The two women are relatives of Kachallah Ibrahim Battujo, a notorious bandit leader who was killed by security forces on 10 June 2026 during an operation in a forest near Iluke, in Kogi State’s Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area.
Both women escaped conviction on counts one and three, which concerned receiving N490,300 from Battujo while knowing it represented proceeds of terrorism, and using such funds to sponsor a religious pilgrimage.
The Director of Public Prosecutions, Oyedepo Rotimi, SAN, urged the court to strike out those counts while proceeding on the others.
According to count two, the defendants “aided and abetted the activities of Battujo, a known bandit kingpin, and passed information through telephone conversations to the said Battujo” – an offence contrary to Section 26 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
In addition to that charge, Battujo’s mother, Safiya Salihu, also admitted to count five, which related to concealing information about her son’s terrorist operations.
His sister, Halima Abdullahi, pleaded guilty to count four, which concerned concealing knowledge that her brother had illegally acquired firearms – something she witnessed during a visit to his forest camp.
Each count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years. Justice Yilwa ordered that the sentences run concurrently, meaning the women will serve a total of 20 years behind bars, followed by a period of rehabilitation.
The case underscores the authorities’ determination to hold not just perpetrators but also their enablers to account, as Nigeria continues to grapple with banditry and terrorism in the northern and central regions.
