Court Jails Bandit Kingpin’s Mother, Sister For 20 Years

The convicts, Halima Abdullahi and Safiya Salihu, both from Dungun Mu’aza in Sabuwa Local Government Area of Katsina State, were arraigned by the Federal Government on multiple terrorism-related charges under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

Court proceedings revealed that both women admitted guilt to two key counts bordering on aiding and abetting terrorism and concealing information about the activities of the wanted suspect. Abdullahi was found to have allegedly facilitated her son’s operations by passing information through telephone communications, while Salihu was also implicated in similar support activities and failure to report critical intelligence after allegedly visiting a forest hideout linked to the suspect.

Although they initially faced additional charges, including allegations of receiving funds linked to terrorism and benefiting from sponsorships allegedly connected to the suspect, the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation later withdrew three of the counts, which were subsequently struck out by the court.

Following their guilty pleas, the court had earlier imposed 40-year sentences on each of them; however, Justice Yilwa ordered that the sentences run concurrently, effectively reducing the jail term to 20 years each. The court also ruled that the sentence would take effect from February 2026, the period of their arrest.

With the ruling, both women are to serve their respective 20-year jail terms in custody.