Hussaini Ismaila, a leader of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), has been sentenced to 20 years in prison on terrorist charges brought against him by the Department of State Services.
Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja issued the ruling on Tuesday, after Ismaila’s decision to modify his plea from not guilty to guilty on the four-count charge brought under the Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Act, 2013.
Ismaila, also known as Mai Tangaran, was accused of organizing various attacks against police installations in Kano State in 2012.
According to the prosecution, Ismaila orchestrated attacks on the Police Headquarters in Bompai, the Mobile Police Base on Kabuga Road, the Pharm Centre Police Station, and the Angwa Uku Police Station, among other locations, resulting in multiple injuries.
He was detained on August 31, 2017, in Tsamiyya Babba Village, Gezewa Local Government Area, Kano State, and subsequently arraigned.
However, the trial was significantly delayed due to interlocutory appeals and a trial-within-a-trial to assess if his extrajudicial utterances were voluntary.
When the hearings finally began, the DSS called five witnesses, including two operatives and two eyewitnesses to some of the attacks.
Ismaila first rejected the charges but changed his plea following the testimony of the fifth prosecution witness.
His counsel, P. B. Onijah of the Legal Aid Council, urged the court to balance justice and mercy, noting that his client was sorry and had chosen to plead guilty to prevent further delays.
In his decision, Justice Nwite found Ismaila guilty on all four counts and sentenced him to 15 years on count one and 20 years on counts two, three, and four.
The sentences are to run concurrently; thus, the offender will spend a maximum of 20 years.
The judge ordered that the sentence begin on August 31, 2017, the date of Ismaila’s detention.
He further authorized the Controller-General of the Correctional Service to imprison the offender in any institution of his choosing for the duration of the sentence.
Justice Nwite further ordered that after serving his jail sentence, Ismaila undergo rehabilitation and deradicalization before being reintegrated into society.
