Kebbi State Police Command has secured the conviction of 19 persons, including a Chinese national, for terrorism, illegal firearms possession, and vandalism of critical national infrastructure.
Kebbi State Public Relations Officer SP Bashir Usman, disclosed this in a statement in Birnin Kebbi the state capital, said the conviction came.after 17 months of painstaking investigation and diligent prosecution.
The judgment was delivered by Justice Emmanuel Gakko of the Federal High Court, Birnin Kebbi bringing to an end, a legal battle that began following an intelligence-led operation across Yauri, Bagudo, Sakaba, and other flashpoints.
In the most significant conviction, two terrorism kingpins, Aliyu Hadari and Umar Musa Uzzi, were found guilty on three counts of terrorism, providing logistics to an armed terrorist group, and conspiracy to commit terrorism, contrary to the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The two terrorism kingpins, were intercepted along Yauri road while driving a vehicle specially acquired to convey kidnap victims to their forest hideout and they were sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment on each count.
The court further ordered the forfeiture of the vehicle and a Bajaj motorcycle to the Federal Government, having established them as instruments and proceeds of terrorism.
Also in a sweeping victory against illegal arms proliferation, 11 persons were convicted of unlawful possession of firearms, with 11 assorted firearms recovered, including locally fabricated pistols, a locally made Beretta pistol, and dane guns.
Those convicted include Mr. Ripin Liu, a Chinese national arrested with a locally made Beretta pistol, who was sentenced to 6 years’ imprisonment with an option of a fine; Mohammed Bello Ibrahim was sentenced to 4 years’ imprisonment without an option of a fine; Abubakar Siddi, sentenced to 3 years’ imprisonment without an option of a fine
Others are were Mohammed Bako, Bello Dantiye, Aliyu Dandaula, and Abubakar Usman, sentenced to 3 years’ imprisonment each without an option of a fine; Buba Alhaji Umaru, who was arrested in Bagudo LGA after crossing from a neighbouring country with a locally fabricated pistol, sentenced to 3 years’ imprisonment.
Similarly , John Zweme, sentenced to 2 years and 6 months’ imprisonment with an option of a fine; and Aliyu Bako and Sani Alaramma,were sentenced to 2 years’ imprisonment each with an option of a fine.
In the same vein, the Command secured the conviction of 6 economic saboteurs: Sani Tanko, Ibrahim Hamza, Samson Sunday, Abdulrahman Isah, Adamu Musa, and Masudu, for vandalising and stealing electric cables in Sakaba LGA, and were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment ranging from 3 to 8 years.
Speaking on the judgment, kebbi State Commissioner of Police, CP Umar Hadejia, said the convictions send an unmistakable message that crime does not pay, pointing out that the 17-month journey from arrest to conviction reflects the Command’s refusal to abandon complex cases and its determination to see every prosecution through to a logical conclusion.
He commended the judge for his courage in handling the case judiciously, praising also the investigative team and prosecuting counsel for their diligence. Umar expressed the command’s resilience to sustain its operations against terrorism, illegal arms proliferation, and economic sabotage.
He urged the residents to always cooperate with the Police by reporting suspicious movements and activities, assuring them that every credible information would be acted upon decisively.
