Boko Haram: Court Sentences Two Men In Borno To 15, 20 Years For Withholding Information

Justice Binta Fatimah Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced two men to prison terms for failing to provide information on Boko Haram activities to authorities.

On Monday, the court sentenced Isa Isiaka to 20 years imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to a charge of concealing information related to terrorism activities.

The charge was filed by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN.

According to court proceedings, the prosecution alleged that Isiaka withheld information that could have led to the arrest of members of the proscribed Boko Haram sect.

When the charge was read, Isiaka pleaded guilty.

He asked the court for leniency, citing that he was a first-time offender, a father of 11 children, and husband to two wives.

In her judgment, Justice Nyako said the plea for leniency was not sufficient and sentenced him to 20 years imprisonment without an option of fine.

In a separate case, Justice Nyako also sentenced Ali Mustapha, a 55-year-old farmer from Katara village in Borno State, to 15 years imprisonment for the same offence.

Mustapha had been in custody since 2013 and pleaded guilty to the charge filed by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation.

During sentencing, the judge noted Mustapha’s submission that there were no government officials or security agencies in his remote village to report to at the time.

Taking that into account, the court ordered that the 15-year term should run from 2013, the year of his arrest and detention.

Both cases were prosecuted under provisions that make it an offence to withhold information on terrorism-related activities.

The court proceedings were conducted at the Federal High Court in Abuja. Under Nigerian law, concealing information about terrorism offences is punishable with imprisonment.

The court determined the sentences based on the charges, the guilty pleas entered, and other considerations presented during the proceedings.