A Federal High Court in Abuja has handed 20-year prison terms to the mother and sister of Kachallah Ibrahim Battujo, a notorious bandit leader killed by security forces earlier this month.
Justice Hauwa Yilwa delivered the sentence on Friday after Safiya Salihu and Halima Abdullahi pleaded guilty to terrorism-related charges filed by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation.
The Department of State Services arrested the two women while investigating Battujo’s network. He was killed on June 10 during a military operation in a forest near Iluke, Kabba/Bunu LGA of Kogi State. Battujo operated across Nigeria’s North-West and North-Central zones.
According to court documents, the women accepted N490,300 from Battujo and received Hajj sponsorship funded by money suspected to be proceeds of terrorism. They also admitted to aiding him by passing information through phone calls.
One of the women was found to have failed to report Battujo’s activities to authorities. The other admitted she visited his forest camp, saw him with firearms, and still withheld the information from security agencies.
During the trial, Director of Public Prosecutions Rotimi Oyedepo withdrew two of the original five counts. The court convicted the defendants on the remaining charges they pleaded to.
Justice Yilwa ordered that the 20-year sentences run concurrently. She also directed that both women undergo rehabilitation after completing their prison terms.
