A federal high court sitting in Abuja has sentenced a former senatorial candidate in Borno state, Babagana Habeeb, to 10 years’ imprisonment for “selling petroleum” to Boko Haram terrorists.
The 2015 senatorial candidate was convicted by the presiding judge, Justice Peter Odo Lifu, on a count charge of aiding and abetting terrorism.
Habeeb, a fuel dealer in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, accepted supplying petroleum products to terrorists operating in the Northeast but added that the sales may have been done by attendants at his fuel station.
During the proceedings, Habeeb kneeled and pleaded for leniency and informed the court that he has been in detention for more than 10 years without contact with his family and that he has two wives and six children.
Mr. David Kaswe, the legal counsel for the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN), argued against the plea of leniency, stating that logistics support to the terrorists contributed to the death of countless people and rendered others homeless.
Kaswe admitted the defendant had spent more than 10 years in detention and noted that he should be imprisoned for 20 years.
In his ruling, Justice Lifu noted that there was no evidence that Habeeb was a member of Boko Haram and added that the only accusation against him was the sale of fuel to the terrorists.
Justice Lifu then sentenced the defendant to 10 years' imprisonment but stated that the jail term commences from the date of arrest and detention of the convict.
The court also ordered that the defendant be released after completing the sentence and also be rehabilitated.