Hussaini Ismaila, a leader of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), has been convicted of terrorism offences and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment by a Federal High Court in Abuja.
Justice Emeka Nwite handed down the judgment after Ismaila, also known as Mai Tangaran, pleaded guilty to a four-count charge of terrorism brought against him by the Department of State Services (DSS).
The prosecution told the court that Ismaila coordinated the 2012 attacks on several police facilities in Kano State, including the Police Headquarters in Bompai, the Mobile Police Base on Kabuga Road, Pharm Centre Police Station, and Angwa Uku Police Station, causing multiple injuries.
Ismaila was arrested on August 31, 2017, at Tsamiyya Babba Village, Gezawa Local Government Area of Kano State, and arraigned under the Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act, 2013. The trial experienced delays due to appeals and a trial-within-trial to determine 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 the testimony of the fifth prosecution witness.
His lawyer from the Legal Aid Council, P.B. Onijah, pleaded for leniency, stating that Ismaila was remorseful and sought to avoid wasting the court’s time.
Justice Nwite found Ismaila guilty and sentenced him to 15 years for count one and 20 years for counts two, three, and four, ordering that the sentences run concurrently from the date of his arrest.
The judge also directed the Controller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service to confine Ismaila in any prison of their choice and mandated that he undergo rehabilitation and deradicalisation before reintegration into society.
