A High Court sitting in Sokoto State has sentenced three men, including a Nigerien national, to death by hanging after finding them guilty of charges bordering on terrorism and arms proliferation.The convicts are Yusuf Muhammad, also known as Sallau, a Nigerien; Jabbi Alhaji Yalle; and Kabiru Muhammad.
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They were arrested on June 13, 2025, by operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS, Counter Terrorism Unit, following investigations into alleged cross-border criminal activities involving arms trafficking and terrorism.
The case, marked SS/45c/2026, was heard before Justice Muhammad Nuraddeen Bello of High Court No. 23, Sokoto.
Delivering judgment, Justice Bello found the three defendants guilty as charged and sentenced them to death by hanging.
The court also ordered the forfeiture of all monetary exhibits recovered from the convicts to the Federal Government.
The conviction is seen as part of ongoing efforts by security and prosecuting authorities to tackle terrorism, arms proliferation and organised cross-border criminal networks operating within and around Nigeria’s borders.
The case also highlights renewed concern over the movement of weapons and suspected terrorist collaborators across the Sahel and border communities, especially in areas affected by insurgency, banditry and other violent crimes.
The sentencing comes about two weeks after the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja sentenced five suspects linked to the November 21, 2025, attack on St Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, Niger State, to 25 years’ imprisonment each.
In that case, Justice Binta Nyako convicted the five defendants after they pleaded guilty to four terrorism-related counts filed against them by the DSS.
The defendants, who included two Nigerien nationals, were arrested on May 31, 2026, by DSS operatives in connection with their alleged roles in the attack.
The charges in the Papiri school attack case bordered on support for the commission of an act of terrorism, contrary to provisions of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and the Firearms Act.
According to one of the counts, the defendants were accused of jointly conspiring to assist a terrorist by agreeing and intentionally playing various roles in conveying 15 AK-103 rifles and about 1,434 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition from the Diffa region of the Republic of Niger to one Malam Ahmad, said to be a member of the Boko Haram terrorist group based in Borgu, Niger State.
The prosecution said the alleged conduct constituted an offence contrary to Section 26(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The latest judgment in Sokoto adds to a series of terrorism-related convictions secured in recent weeks, as Nigerian security agencies intensify efforts against arms trafficking, terrorism financing, insurgency support networks and cross-border criminal operations.
Security agencies have repeatedly warned that the proliferation of small arms and light weapons remains a major driver of insecurity in the country, particularly in states affected by terrorism, banditry and kidnapping.
The DSS has also maintained that it will continue to pursue intelligence-led operations and prosecutions against persons suspected of aiding, financing or facilitating terrorist activities in Nigeria.
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