A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced the mother and sister of slain bandit kingpin Kachallah Ibrahim Battujo to 20 years imprisonment each after they pleaded guilty to charges related to aiding terrorism and concealing information about his activities.
Gatekeeeprs News reports that Justice Hauwa Yilwa delivered the judgment on Friday following the prosecution of Safiya Salihu and Halima Abdullahi by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation.
The two women, identified as Battujo’s mother and sister, were arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) after investigations into the activities of the notorious bandit leader, who was killed by security forces on June 10 during an operation in a forest near Iluke in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
During the trial, the prosecution alleged that the women knowingly received ₦490,300 from Battujo despite being aware that the funds were linked to terrorist activities. They were also accused of accepting sponsorship from him for the Hajj pilgrimage using proceeds suspected to have been derived from terrorism.
The court further heard that the duo aided Battujo by passing information to him through telephone conversations and failed to provide security agencies with information that could have led to his arrest. One of the convicts was said to have visited his forest hideout and seen him in possession of firearms but did not report the matter to authorities.
After the defendants pleaded guilty, the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, applied to withdraw two of the five charges against them and requested their conviction on the remaining counts.
The court subsequently sentenced both women to 20 years imprisonment on the charges and ordered that the terms run concurrently. Justice Yilwa also directed that they undergo rehabilitation after serving their prison sentences.
Battujo was regarded as one of the bandit leaders operating across parts of north-west and north-central Nigeria before he was killed in a military operation earlier this month.
