A Sokoto State High Court has sentenced three men, including a Nigerien national, to death by hanging after finding them guilty of terrorism and arms proliferation.
The convicts Yusuf Muhammad (alias Sallau), a Nigerien; Jabbi Alhaji Yalle; and Kabiru Muhammad — were arrested on June 13, 2025, by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) Counter-Terrorism Unit over their alleged involvement in terrorism-related activities, arms trafficking and other cross-border crimes.
Delivering judgment, Justice Bello convicted the three defendants on all counts and sentenced them to death by hanging.
The court also ordered the forfeiture of all money and assets recovered from the convicts to the Federal Government.
The judgment comes barely a week after a Federal High Court in Katsina sentenced Hauwa’u Mukhtar to death over arms trafficking offences. She was arrested by the DSS while allegedly transporting 438 rounds of ammunition to an alleged bandit leader.
Similarly, a Federal High Court in Abuja recently sentenced Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik and Abdulhaleem Idris to death after convicting them for their roles in the deadly attack on worshippers in Owo, Ondo State, which claimed more than 40 lives.
Also, a Kogi State High Court sitting in Lokoja last week sentenced Jibrin Halilu to death by hanging after convicting him of kidnapping and murdering a hotelier in Obajana. Halilu was arrested by DSS operatives and prosecuted on charges bordering on conspiracy, kidnapping and murder.
The latest conviction underscores ongoing efforts by security agencies and the judiciary to tackle terrorism, arms proliferation and violent crimes across the country.
