The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday convicted and sentenced the mother and sister of late bandit mastermind Kachallah Ibrahim Battujo to 40 years in jail each.
The convicted, Safiya Salihu and Halima Abdullahi, were found to have given information to Battujo via telephone conversations in favor of his terrorist acts, thus committing an offense against and punishable under Section 26 of the Terrorism (Prevention) (Prohibition) Act of 2022.
The court, in a decision issued by Justice Hauwa Yilwa, also convicted the two ladies of concealing information by failing to report Battujo’s activities to law enforcement or security authorities as soon as practically reasonable in order to facilitate his arrest.
It was discovered that they had visited the bandit kingpin’s camp in the forest, where they saw him with weaponry, but had failed to notify security officials.
Justice Yilwa imposed the penalties after the defendants pled guilty to counts 2, 4, and 5 of a five-count terrorism-related accusation brought against them by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation.
The court dismissed counts 1 and 3 of the accusation, alleging that they received ₦490,300 from Battujo despite knowing the funds were profits of terrorism.
The court also cleared them of the allegations that they had accepted funding from the bandit leader to travel for the Hajj pilgrimage.
According to the prosecution, the convicts had a reasonable expectation of knowing that the funds used to sponsor their trip were profits of terrorism and thus committed an offense punishable under Section 21 of the Terrorism (Prevention) (Prohibition) Act of 2022.
Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, the Federation’s Director of Public Prosecution, had requested that the two charges be struck out, while urging the court to convict and sentence the defendants on the remaining three counts of the indictment.
On June 10, 2026, security agents murdered Battujo, a known bandit, in a jungle near Iluke in the Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
Some of the charges against the convicts read: “That you, Halima Abdullahi and Safiya Salihu, females, adults, of Dungun Mu’aza, Sabuwa LGA, Katsina State, sometime in 2026, at Katsina State, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, did commit an offense when you aided and abetted the activities of Battujo, a known bandit kingpin, by passing information through telephone conversations to the said Battujo, thereby committing an offense contrary to and punishable under Section 26 of the Terrorism (Prevention) (Prohibition) Act, 2022.
“That you, Safiya Salihu, female, adult, of Dungun Mu’aza, Sabuwa LGA, Katsina State, sometime in 2026, at Katsina State, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, did commit an offense when you concealed information about the activities of Battujo, a known bandit kingpin, having visited his forest camp and seen him in possession of firearms—information you knew to be of material assistance in securing his apprehension—but failed to disclose such information to any law enforcement or security officer as soon as reasonably practicable, thereby committing an offense contrary to and punishable under Section 16 of the Terrorism (Prevention) (Prohibition) Act, 2022.
“That you, Halima Abdullahi, female, adult, of Dungun Mu’aza, Sabuwa LGA, Katsina State, sometime in 2026, at Katsina State, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, did commit an offense when you concealed information about the activities of Battujo, a suspected bandit kingpin—information you knew to be of material assistance in securing his apprehension—but failed to disclose such information to any law enforcement or security officer as soon as reasonably practicable, thereby committing an offense contrary to and punishable under Section 16 of the Terrorism (Prevention) (Prohibition) Act, 2022.”
