Sokoto Court Sentences Three, Including Nigerien National, to Death for Terrorism, Arms Trafficking
Sokoto Court Sentences Three, Including Nigerien National, to Death for Terrorism, Arms Trafficking
By Divine Macaulay ·
Sokoto Court Sentences Three, Including Nigerien National, to Death for Terrorism, Arms Trafficking
A High Court in Sokoto State has sentenced three men, including a Nigerien national, to death by hanging after finding them guilty of terrorism-related offences and arms proliferation.
The convicts — Yusuf Muhammad, also known as Sallau, a Nigerien national, Jabbi Alhaji Yalle, and Kabiru Muhammad — were arrested on June 13, 2025, by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) Counter-Terrorism Unit over their alleged involvement in cross-border arms trafficking and terrorism.
The trial, marked SS/45C/2026, was heard before Justice Muhammad Nuraddeen Bello of High Court No. 23 in Sokoto.
In his judgment, Justice Bello held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and convicted the three defendants on all counts. He subsequently sentenced them to death by hanging.
The court also ordered the forfeiture of all funds and other monetary exhibits recovered from the convicts to the Federal Government as proceeds linked to their criminal activities.
The conviction marks another successful prosecution in the DSS's ongoing campaign against terrorism, arms proliferation and transnational criminal networks operating across Nigeria's borders. According to the security agency, the judgment underscores its sustained efforts to dismantle terrorist cells and disrupt the flow of illicit weapons into the country.