Two women have been sentenced to 40 years’ imprisonment each by the Federal High Court in Abuja over their involvement in terrorism-related activities linked to a slain bandit leader.
The convicts, Safiya Salihu and Halima Abdullahi, are the mother and sister of late terrorist kingpin Kachallah Ibrahim Battujo, who was killed by security forces on June 10, 2026, in a forest near Iluke in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
Delivering judgment on Friday, Justice Hauwa Joseph Yilwa sentenced both women after they pleaded guilty to Counts 2, 4, and 5 of a five-count charge filed by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation.
The court, however, discharged them on Counts 1 and 3, which bordered on receiving ₦490,300 from the terrorist leader and using funds linked to terrorism to sponsor a pilgrimage. The prosecution had urged the court to strike out those counts while insisting on conviction for the remaining charges.
The court held that Count 2 was proven, as both women were found to have aided and abetted Battujo’s activities by passing information to him through phone conversations, an offence under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Safiya Salihu also pleaded guilty to Count 5 for concealing information about her son’s terrorist activities, while Halima Abdullahi admitted to Count 4 for failing to disclose that her brother illegally acquired firearms, which she allegedly saw during visits to his forest camp.
Following their guilty pleas and the court’s findings, both women were handed 40-year jail terms each.
