Special court sentences 113 Boko Haram members to varying prison terms for acts of terrorism

ONE hundred and thirteen  of Boko Haram have been sentenced a varying number of years imprisonment by a special court in Niger State after being found guilty of various acts of terrorism including abducting the Chibok girls.

Sitting over the last two days at a military formation in New Bussa, Niger State, the court sentenced the sect members to various terms of imprisonment. The three judges handling the cases are drawn from the federal high court and the trials were witnessed by rights advocacy organisations like the National Human Rights Commission and Amnesty International.

At the trial, a total of 111 suspects were set free because there were not sufficient evidence to prove their guilt, so they were recommended for rehabilitation before release. All the cases heard involved defendants who could only speak either Hausa or Kanuri, thereby requiring the assistance of translators.

Ages of the suspects varied, with the lowest being 16-year-old Saudatu Zarhadeen, who was arrested at 13 years old by security agents, who had gone to her home to arrest her husband, a suspected Boko Haram leader but picked up her in his absence. The oldest was 73-year-old Mamman Lawan, who was among a set of five men convicted for concealing information from security agents and assisting Boko Haram members with foods and other items.

Mr Lawan along with other four others identified as  Modu Bulama, 40; Mallam Dupochi, 50;  Mallam Ali Mami, 63 and Musa Mohammed Dawa, 60, who were sentenced to three years imprisonment each on a four-count charge. Then there was the case of Banzana Yusuf, who admitted being one of the Boko Haram members who kidnapped the over 200 Chibok schoolgirls in Borno State in 2014.

In addition, Mr Yusuf, who was convicted and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment, to run from when he was arrested in 2015, also admitted stealing a military vehicle in Mungunu, used to convey the abducted girls. He said that in 2008, his parents sent him to Lagos to prevent him from joining Boko Haram but that he chose to return to be part of the group.

Kabiru Mohammed, 30, got the highest sentence of 30 years after being found guilty on a seven-count charge in which he was accused of among others, being a Boko Haram member and participating in a series of fatal attacks on communities. He was said to have joined the sect in 2013 and rose to become a leader in 2014, participating in the attacks on Bama, Konduga, Baga and Damaturu.

Also, Adamu Muhammed, 22, who was arrested when he was19 years old, was charged with being a Boko Haram member, participating in terrorism activities and killing six people with a gun. He pleaded guilty to the six-count charge on which he was arraigned and was convicted and sentenced to 25 years imprisonment.

Mohammed Musa Audu bagged 15 years for admitting being a member of a terrorist organisation called Mujahideen. He also admitted attending the group’s meetings in Mali, although he denied being a member of Boko Haram.

The much anticipated trial of Mohammed Zakariya, also known as Butcher was postponed when the judge learnt that the 50-year-old man was mentally unstable. A military medical personnel told the court that Mr Zakariya suffers from post traumatic stress disorder and anxiety disorder.