The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has sentenced the mother and sister of slain bandit kingpin Kachalla Ibrahim Battujo to 40 years in prison each for aiding his terrorist activities, though both women will serve only 20 years following a concurrent sentence order by the court.
Justice Hauwa Joseph Yilwa handed down the sentences on Friday after Halima Abdullahi, Battujo’s mother, and Safiya Salihu, his sister, entered guilty pleas to separate terrorism charges filed by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation.
The Department of State Services (DSS) had arrested both women in February 2026 during investigations into the support network of Battujo, who was killed by Nigerian security forces on June 10, 2026, during an operation in a forest near Iluke in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
Abdullahi was convicted on two counts: aiding and abetting Battujo by passing information to him through telephone conversations, and concealing information about his terrorist activities from security agencies. Both offences are punishable under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The court sentenced her to 20 years on each count.
Salihu pleaded guilty to concealing information about firearms illegally acquired by her brother, which she reportedly observed during a visit to his forest camp. She was sentenced to 20 years on the count.
Following a plea by their lawyer, Dauda Hassan of the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, who cited the women’s ages and their status as first-time offenders, Justice Yilwa ordered that all sentences run concurrently and take effect from the date of their arrest, meaning each convict will spend 20 years in prison.
The judge further directed that both women undergo rehabilitation upon completing their terms.
Three other counts on the charge sheet were struck out after the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), withdrew them.
The withdrawn counts had alleged that the women received N490,300 from Battujo knowing it was proceeds of terrorism, and that they undertook a Hajj pilgrimage sponsored with funds linked to terrorist activities.
Battujo had been on the security watchlist for several violent crimes before troops of the Nigerian Army, working alongside the Office of the National Security Adviser Tactical Team, neutralised him and more than 15 members of his criminal network in Kogi State.
Security authorities said the operation also thwarted a planned mass abduction of students sitting the West African Senior School Certificate Examination in Iluke.
The Kogi State Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo, said the slain kingpin had allegedly masterminded an attack on a school in Iluke Bunu in which three people were killed, including a vice principal and a six-year-old child, and that he had been coordinating plans to abduct students from schools across the state.
Following his killing, troops led by the Commander of 12 Brigade, Brigadier General Karim Sidi, stormed the forest where he was buried to exhume his body for forensic examination.
(The Whistler)
