A total of 386 suspects who were tried for terrorism related offences were convicted during a four-day special court sitting of the Federal High Court in Abuja. Our correspondent in Abuja understands that they were among the 598 defendants brought before the court by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation.
Speaking at the conclusion of the sitting yesterday, the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) expressed delight about the outcome of the exercise.
He said: “In total, we brought about 508 cases. Out of these 508 we were able to secure 386 convictions. Eight discharges, two acquittals and 112 adjourned to the next session or phase. “Don’t forget that this is the ninth phase. The 10th phase will come up between the 15th and the 18th of June by God’s special grace.
“The fact that you have discharges and acquittals speaks to the fact that we have been following due process. Anybody who is not guilty will not be sent to jail, and the fact that we brought them to court also speaks to the fact that we recognise the oversight function of the Judiciary,” he said.
On his assessment of the exercise, Fagbemi said he was satisfied, particularly because the cases were heard in public and witnessed by relevant stakeholders.
He was of the view that the mass trial and the imprisonment of the 386 terrorists will serve as a sign to other criminal minded individuals that Nigeria has no space for heinous crimes like terrorism. Fagbemi hailed the 10 judges of the Federal High Court for sacrificing their Easter holiday to sit as special courts and in response to the clarion call of the Federal Government to them.
The AGF said organisations like the Amnesty International (AI), the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), among others, witnessed the proceedings as a demonstration of the Federal Government’s commitment to transparency in the trial process.
Earlier, a 2015 senatorial candidate in Borno State, Babagana Habeeb, was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for selling petroleum to members of the Boko Haram sect in the state.
In a judgment yesterday, Justice Peter Lifu convicted Habeeb on a single count charge on which he was arraigned and in which he was accused of aiding and abetting terrorism activities.
Habeeb, said to be a fuel dealer in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, pleaded guilty when the charge was read to him. He however claimed that his fuel station attendants may have been responsible for the sales.
The politician, who knelt down in the dock for almost an hour that the proceeding lasted, pleaded with the judge to be lenient with him in his sentence.
He claimed to have two wives and six children and that he had not been allowed to see or communicate with any member of his family since he had been detained for over 10 years now. Prosecuting lawyer, David Kaswe objected to the convict’s plea for leniency, noting that the logistics support he gave the terrorists led to the death of many people and rendered others homeless.
Kaswe admitted that the convict had been in custody for more than 10 years, but insisted that he should be given 20 years imprisonment. He argued that the Boko Haram members would not have been able to use their motorcycles to launch attacks on the innocent people and escape into the bush if no one had sold fuel to them
Justice Lifu, in his judgment, held that there was no evidence that the convict was a member of Boko Haram or trained on weapon handling. The judge noted that the sole accusation against him was on the sale of fuel to the terrorists, adding that the prosecution did not fault the convict’s claim that he has been in custody for over 10 years.
He then sentenced Habeeb to 10 years imprisonment, but ordered that the prison term should start running from the date of his arrest and detention.
Justice Lifu further ordered that Habeeb be immediately released after he (the judge) signs his release warrant to enable him go for extensive rehabilitation.
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