The Department of State Services (DSS) is set to challenge two recent court judgments that imposed prison terms on three men convicted in separate terrorism-related cases, insisting that the punishments do not reflect the gravity of their offences.
Security sources said the Service had resolved to appeal the decisions of the Federal High Court in Kano and a Katsina State High Court, arguing that the sentences were inadequate considering the nature of the crimes and the weapons allegedly recovered from the convicts.
The Federal High Court in Kano sentenced Jamilu Ibrahim to 32 years’ imprisonment and Rayya Haruna to 10 years’ imprisonment after they were convicted in separate terrorism-related cases.
Similarly, a Katsina State High Court sentenced the 80-year-old village head of Salihawa in Safana Local Government Area, Audu Adamu Tubali, to 10 years in prison.
According to security sources, the DSS considers the penalties too lenient and intends to challenge them at the appellate court.
The Service said the three convicts were arrested during separate operations that led to the recovery of large caches of arms and ammunition allegedly meant for terrorist and bandit groups.
According to the DSS, Ibrahim was arrested while allegedly transporting weapons to a suspected bandit leader identified as Karami, who is said to operate in Katsina State.
The prosecution alleged that DSS operatives recovered four Rocket Propelled Grenades and 832 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition for AK-47 rifles from him.
The Service maintained that the recovered weapons were intended to strengthen terrorist and bandit networks.
A security source described the prison terms as a “slap on the wrist” when compared with the seriousness of the offences.
Speaking to ThisDay, the source argued that previous judgments in similar cases had attracted stiffer punishments.
As an example, the source cited the case of Hauwa’u Mukhtar, an alleged female arms courier who was recently sentenced to death by a Federal High Court in Katsina State.
According to the source, Mukhtar was arrested by DSS operatives at Jibia Motor Park while allegedly attempting to transport 438 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition to a suspected bandit leader operating in the Dunburum Forest area of Zamfara State.
The source argued that if the courts considered the death penalty appropriate in Mukhtar’s case, similar sanctions should be considered where more sophisticated weapons were allegedly recovered.
“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, more so as the weapons found on them are more lethal than those found on the lady sentenced to death by hanging,” the source said.
“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,” the source added.
Another security source said the proposed appeals formed part of the DSS’s broader effort to secure judicial outcomes that would serve as stronger deterrents against arms trafficking and support for terrorist and bandit groups.
