At Last, Court Sentences Top ISWAP Commander After Years of Trial Delays
- A Federal High Court in Abuja has convicted ISWAP commander Hussaini Ismaila after he pleaded guilty to the terrorism charges against him
- The judge sentenced him to 20 years in prison for coordinating multiple violent attacks in Kano in 2012
- The DSS presented five witnesses during the trial, including eyewitnesses and operatives involved in the investigation, before the convict finally admitted guilt
Abuja, Nigeria - A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced Hussaini Ismaila, a notorious commander of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), to 20 years imprisonment after he admitted to a series of terrorism offences connected to violent attacks carried out across Kano State.
The conviction comes after years of legal delays that stretched the trial for more than eight years.
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Justice Emeka Nwite delivered the judgment on Wednesday, bringing an end to a case that began shortly after Ismaila’s arrest in 2017 and had faced repeated adjournments, appeals, and a trial-within-trial.
The Department of State Services (DSS), which prosecuted the case, told the court that Ismaila, also known as Mai Tangaran, served as a coordinator for the 2012 attacks on several police formations in Kano.
Those attacks targeted the Police Headquarters in Bompai, the Mobile Police Base along Kabuga Road, the Pharm Centre Police Station and the Angwa Uku Police Station. Many officers and civilians were injured during the violent operations, which spread fear across the state at the time.
How the ISWAP commander was arrested
Ismaila was arrested on August 31, 2017, during a DSS operation in Tsamiyya Babba Village in Gezewa Local Government Area.
He was subsequently arraigned on a four-count charge under the Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act, 2013.
But the case struggled to move forward as the defence challenged the admissibility of his extra-judicial statements, forcing the court to pause the trial for procedural reviews.
When proceedings eventually resumed, the prosecution called five witnesses, including two DSS operatives and two eyewitnesses who recounted the events surrounding the 2012 attacks.
After the testimony of the fifth witness, the case took an unexpected turn. Ismaila, who had maintained a not-guilty plea for years, suddenly opted to plead guilty to all charges.
His lawyer, P. B. Onijah of the Legal Aid Council, appealed to the court for leniency, arguing that the defendant had shown remorse and changed his plea to avoid further wastage of judicial resources.
Onijah insisted that his client regretted his involvement in terrorism and wished to take responsibility for his actions.
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Court sentenced the ISWAP commander
In his ruling, Justice Nwite held that the prosecution had successfully established its case. He sentenced the convict to fifteen years imprisonment on the first count and twenty years each on the remaining three counts.
The judge, however, ordered that the sentences run concurrently, meaning that Ismaila will serve a maximum of twenty years.
The court further directed that the jail term should count from the date of his arrest in 2017, effectively reducing the remaining years he will spend behind bars.
Justice Nwite also instructed the Controller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service to confine the convict in any suitable facility of the service’s choosing.
Court rules ISWAP leader must undergo rehabilitation
In addition to the prison term, the judge ordered that Ismaila must undergo rehabilitation and deradicalisation after completing his sentence before being reintegrated into society.
The court stated that such measures were necessary to ensure he does not pose a threat upon release.
Boko Haram kidnaps travellers along Maiduguri-Kano highway
Legit.ng earlier reported that many travellers have been thrown into panic, and others have been forcefully taken to an unknown destination by Boko Haram insurgents.
Reports making the rounds on Tuesday disclosed that the insurgents carried out the abduction between two villages, located along the Damaturu highway.
Following the incident, numerous travellers and commuters found themselves stranded and awaited the military's intervention.
Source: Legit.ng
