- Safiu Kehinde
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has convicted and sentenced one of the leaders of Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Hussaini Ismaila, to 20 years’ imprisonment.
Ismaila who was prosecuted by the Department of State Sevices (DSS) for alleged terroris was sentenced in a judgement delivered on Tuesday by Justice Emeka Nwite.
The convicted terrorist, also known as Mai Tangaran, had reportedly pleaded guilty to a four-count terrorism charge brought against him by the DSS.
In the wake of his guilty plea, Justice Nwite slammed the 20 years jail term on him.
The DSS prosecution counsel had at the ISWAP leader’s trial said Ismaila was the coordinator of the 2012 attacks on Police Headquarters in Bompai, Kano State; Mobile Police Base, Kabuga Road, Kano State; Pharm Centre Police Station, Kano State; Angwa Uku Police Station, Kano State, among other places, in which many were injured.
Acording to reports, Ismaila was arraigned on a four-count charge brought under the Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act, 2013, shortly after his arrest on August 31, 2017, at Tsamiyya Babba Village, Gezewa LGA, Kano State,
Meanwhile, Ismaila, who had earlier pleaded not guilty during his arraignment, changed his plea to guilty after the testimony of the fifth prosecution witness.
Subsequently, his lawyer, P. B. Onijah from the Legal Aid Council (LAC) pleaded with the court to be lenient with the defendant.
Onijah, in his plea, maintained that Ismaila was remorseful and changed his plea to avoid wasting the court’s time and regretted being involved in terrorism.
Justice Nwite, in his judgment, found Ismaila guilty of the offences charged and sentenced him to 15 years in relation to count one; and 20 years on counts two, three and four.
The judge ordered that the sentences run concurrently, while the sentencing shall begin to run from the date of his arrest, on August 31, 2017.
Justice Nwite equally ordered that the Controller-General of the Correctional Service confine the convict at any prison of the Controller-General’s choice for the purpose of serving his sentence.
The judge added that Ismaila must be subjected to both rehabilitation and deradicalization after serving his term, before being reintegrated with the society.