The Federal High Court in Abuja has convicted and sentenced the mother and sister of late bandit kingpin Kachallah Ibrahim Battujo to 40 years imprisonment each for terrorism-related offences.
The convicts, Safiya Salihu and Halima Abdullahi, were found guilty of aiding the activities of the notorious bandit leader by passing information to him through telephone conversations and concealing information that could have led to his arrest.
Delivering judgment on Friday, Justice Hauwa Yilwa held that the women committed offences punishable under the Terrorism (Prevention) (Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The court found that both women knowingly communicated with Battujo and provided information that supported his activities, thereby aiding and abetting acts linked to terrorism.
Justice Yilwa also ruled that the defendants failed to report critical information about Battujo’s activities to law enforcement agencies despite having knowledge that could have assisted in his apprehension.
Evidence before the court showed that the women had visited Battujo’s camp in the forest, where they saw him in possession of firearms. Despite this, they failed to notify security agencies or law enforcement authorities.
The convictions followed the defendants’ guilty plea to counts 2, 4 and 5 of a five-count charge filed against them by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation.
However, the court discharged and acquitted them on counts 1 and 3, which alleged that they knowingly received ₦490,300 from Battujo as proceeds of terrorism.
They were also cleared of allegations relating to sponsorship for the Hajj pilgrimage, after the prosecution requested that the charges be withdrawn.
According to prosecutors, the women reasonably ought to have known that funds allegedly provided for the pilgrimage were derived from terrorist activities and were therefore liable under provisions of the Terrorism (Prevention) (Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, had urged the court to strike out those counts while seeking convictions on the remaining charges.
Among the charges sustained by the court were allegations that the defendants aided Battujo by relaying information through telephone communications and deliberately withheld information about his whereabouts and activities despite knowing that such information could assist security agencies.
The court subsequently sentenced both women to 40 years imprisonment each after finding them guilty of the terrorism-related offences.
Battujo, a notorious bandit leader linked to criminal activities in parts of northern Nigeria, was killed by security forces on June 10, 2026, during an operation in a forest near Iluke in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
