A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced Hussaini Ismaila, one of the leaders of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS) for alleged terrorism, to 20 years imprisonment.
The presiding judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, issued the judgment on Tuesday after Ismaila, also known as Mai Tangaran, switched his plea from not guilty to guilty on four counts filed under the Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Act, 2013.
He was accused of coordinating attacks on police formations in Kano State from 2012 to 2016, such as the Police Headquarters in Bompai, the Mobile Police Base on Kabuga Road, Pharm Centre Police Station, and Angwa Uku Police Station.
The 34-year-old was arrested on August 31, 2017, at Tsamiyya Babba Village in the Gezawa Local Government Area (LGA) of Kano State.
The trial was delayed due to appeals and the conduct of a trial-within-a-trial to determine the voluntariness of his extrajudicial statements, but the trial eventually commenced, and the DSS called five witnesses, including DSS operatives and eyewitnesses to some of the attacks.
Following the testimony of the fifth prosecution witness, Ismaila changed his plea to guilty. His lawyer, P. B. Onijah from the Legal Aid Council (LAC), pleaded for leniency from the court, adding that his client was remorseful about his involvement in terrorism and switched his plea from not guilty to guilty in order to avoid wasting the court’s time.
Justice Nwite then found the defendant guilty of the offenses charged and sentenced him to 15 years in regard to count one and 20 years on counts two, three, and four.
The judge also stated that the sentences run concurrently, while the sentencing shall commence from the date of his arrest, which is August 31, 2017.
Justice Nwite also ordered the Controller-General of the Nigeria Correctional Service to detain Ismaila at any correctional facility of the Controller-General’s selection with the view of serving his jail sentence.
The judge further ordered for the convict's rehabilitation and deradicalization upon completion of his jail term, before being reintegrated with the society.