ISWAP leader sentenced to 20 years for terrorism offences in Abuja

A Federal High Court in Abuja has convicted and sentenced Hussaini Ismaila, identified as a leader of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), to 20 years imprisonment for multiple terrorism offenses.
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Justice Emeka Nwite pronounced the sentence after Ismaila, also known as Mai Tangaran, changed his plea to guilty on a four-count terrorism charge brought by the Department of State Services (DSS).
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The prosecution established that Ismaila was the coordinator of a series of major terrorist attacks in Kano State in 2012. These attacks targeted police infrastructure, including the Police Headquarters in Bompai, the Mobile Police Base on Kabuga Road, and several police stations (Pharm Centre and Angwa Uku), resulting in multiple injuries.
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Ismaila was arrested on August 31, 2017, at Tsamiyya Babba Village, Gezewa LGA, Kano State, and subsequently arraigned under the Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act, 2013. The trial was prolonged by legal maneuvers, including appeals and a trial-within-trial to confirm the voluntariness of his extra-judicial statements, before he eventually changed his initial “not guilty” plea after five prosecution witnesses testified.
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Justice Nwite handed down concurrent sentences. 15 years for Count One and 20 years for Counts Two, Three, and Four. The judge specified that the sentences would run concurrently and commence from the date of the convict’s arrest on August 31, 2017.
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The defense lawyer, P. B. Onijah from the Legal Aid Council (LAC), pleaded for leniency, due to Ismaila’s remorse and his decision to change his plea to avoid wasting the court’s time.
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Justice Nwite ordered that after serving his term, the convict must be subjected to both rehabilitation and deradicalization before being reintegrated into society.
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Hussaini Ismaila will begin serving his sentence immediately in a correctional facility chosen by the Controller-General of the Correctional Service.