A federal high court in Abuja has sentenced Halima Haliru Umar, a nursing mother, to 20 years imprisonment over terrorism-related offences involving the possession of 302 rounds of AK-47 live ammunition.
Gatekeepers News reports that Justice Hauwa Yilwa handed down the judgment after the defendant pleaded guilty to two counts bordering on unlawful possession of ammunition and attempting to support acts of terrorism. The case was filed against her by the Department of State Services (DSS).
The court convicted Halima on counts three and four of the four-count charge. She was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment on one count and a one-year jail term on the second count, while the matter was adjourned till July 9 for trial on the remaining charges, which she denied.
During the proceedings, defence counsel Hamza Dantani pleaded for leniency, telling the court that the convict was a first-time offender and a nursing mother whose one-year-old child was arrested alongside her. The prosecution, however, said there was no previous conviction record against the defendant.
DSS told the court that Halima, a resident of Faskari LGA in Katsina State, was arrested in Plateau State while allegedly transporting the ammunition between Barkin Ladi and Jos North LGAs.
An operative of the agency said investigations revealed that she was allegedly instructed by a man identified as Sani to travel to Zaria before proceeding to Jos, where she received a bag containing the ammunition.
