A Sokoto State High Court has sentenced three men, including a Nigerien national, to death by hanging for terrorism and arms proliferation.
The convicts — Yusuf Muhammad (alias Sallau, a Nigerien), Jabbi Alhaji Yalle, and Kabiru Muhammad — were arrested on June 13, 2025, by the Department of State Services (DSS) Counter-Terrorism Unit in connection with cross-border crimes, arms trafficking, and terrorism-related activities.
Court Judgment
Delivering judgment, Justice Bello found all three defendants guilty as charged. The court sentenced them to death by hanging and ordered the forfeiture of all monetary exhibits recovered from them to the Federal Government.
This latest conviction is part of a growing wave of death sentences being handed down to individuals involved in terrorism, arms trafficking, and banditry across northern Nigeria.
Recent Similar Convictions
The Sokoto judgment comes barely a week after a Federal High Court in Katsina sentenced a female arms courier, Hauwa’u Mukhtar, to death. She was arrested by the DSS while transporting 438 rounds of ammunition to a notorious bandit kingpin.
Days earlier, a Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced four men — Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, and Abdulhaleem Idris — to death for their involvement in the deadly attacks that killed over 40 worshippers in Owo, Ondo State, in 2022.
Last week, a High Court of Kogi State sitting in Lokoja also sentenced Jibrin Halilu to death by hanging. He was arrested by the DSS and charged with conspiracy, kidnapping, and the murder of a hotelier in Obajana, Kogi State.
Significance of the Trend
These rapid convictions signal a tougher stance by the judiciary and security agencies against terrorism and related crimes. The DSS has been particularly active in recent months, arresting high-profile suspects involved in arms supply chains and operational support for bandit and terrorist groups.
The inclusion of a foreign national (the Nigerien) in the Sokoto case also highlights the cross-border dimension of the security challenges facing Nigeria, especially in the North-West and North-Central regions.
As more convictions are secured, security analysts say the focus must now shift to faster trials, stronger inter-agency collaboration, and addressing the root causes of recruitment into these criminal networks.
The Federal Government has consistently maintained that it will not relent in its fight against terrorism, banditry, and all forms of organised crime.
Source: Zagazola Makama / Court records
