DSS to Appeal Jail Terms for Three Convicted in Terrorism-Related Cases

Nigeria's Department of State Services (DSS) plans to appeal recent court judgments that imposed prison sentences on three men convicted in separate terrorism-related cases. The security agency expressed dissatisfaction with the sentences, arguing they are insufficient considering the gravity of the offenses and the substantial caches of arms and ammunition recovered.

In one case, a Federal High Court in Kano sentenced Jamilu Ibrahim to 32 years imprisonment and Rayya Haruna to 10 years. Separately, a Katsina State High Court sentenced 80-year-old village head Audu Adamu Tubali to 10 years. The DSS arrested all three individuals in separate operations, recovering large quantities of weapons allegedly intended for terrorist and bandit networks.

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The Service believes in fairness to all, and will explore all available legal options to ensure that the full weight of the law is made to bear on all who run foul of it without fear or favour.

According to security sources, Ibrahim was apprehended with four Rocket Propelled Grenades and 832 rounds of ammunition destined for a Katsina-based bandit leader. The DSS views these sentences as lenient, comparing them to a case where a female arms courier, Hauwa’u Mukhtar, received a death sentence for transporting ammunition to a bandit kingpin. The agency argues that the weapons found on Ibrahim, Haruna, and Tubali were more lethal than those involved in the death penalty case.

The DSS aims to secure judicial outcomes that serve as stronger deterrents against arms trafficking and the financing of terrorist and bandit groups across Nigeria. The agency stated its commitment to pursuing all available legal avenues to ensure the full weight of the law is applied impartially.

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Where the courts have found it fit to impose the maximum penalty in cases involving the transportation of arms to bandit and terrorist networks, the DSS believes that similar treatment should be meted on Ibrahim, Haruna and Tubali, moreso as the weapons found on them are more lethal than those found on the lady sentenced to death by hanging.