A Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday ruled that Hussaini Ismaila, a top commander of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), is guilty of terrorism offences and sentenced him to 20 years imprisonment.
Justice Emeka Nwite delivered the judgment after Ismaila, also known as Mai Tangaran, pleaded guilty to a four-count terrorism charge brought against him by the Department of State Services (DSS).
The prosecution stated that Ismaila coordinated multiple attacks in 2012 on police facilities in Kano State, including the Police Headquarters in Bompai, Mobile Police Base on Kabuga Road, Pharm Centre Police Station, and Angwa Uku Police Station, resulting in numerous injuries.
Ismaila was arrested on August 31, 2017, at Tsamiyya Babba Village, Gezewa LGA, Kano State, and arraigned under the Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act, 2013. His trial experienced delays due to appeals and a trial-within-a-trial to verify the voluntariness of his extra-judicial statements.
During the trial, the prosecution called five witnesses, including two DSS officials and two eyewitnesses to the attacks. Initially pleading not guilty, Ismaila changed his plea to guilty following testimony from the fifth prosecution witness.
Defence counsel, P. B. Onijah of the Legal Aid Council, urged the court for leniency, noting that Ismaila expressed remorse and sought to avoid wasting the court’s time.
Justice Nwite sentenced Ismaila to 15 years for count one and 20 years for counts two, three, and four, with all sentences to run concurrently from the date of his arrest. The judge directed the Controller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service to confine Ismaila in any facility of his choice.
Additionally, the court ordered that Ismaila undergo rehabilitation and deradicalization after serving his term before being reintegrated into society.
