A High Court in Sokoto State has sentenced three men, including a Nigerien national, to death by hanging for terrorism and arms trafficking, following their arrest by the Department of State Services Counter Terrorism Unit.
Justice Muhammad Nuraddeen Bello of High Court No. 23 delivered the judgment on Tuesday, June 24, 2026, in case SS/45c/2026.
The convicts are Yusuf Muhammad, also known as Sallau, a Nigerien; Jabbi Alhaji Yalle; and Kabiru Muhammad.
They were arrested on June 13, 2025, by the Department of State Services (DSS) Counter Terrorism Unit during operations against cross‑border criminal networks.
The men were accused of conspiring to transport fifteen AK‑103 rifles and about 1,434 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition from the Diffa region of Niger Republic to Malam Ahmad, identified as a Boko Haram member based in Borgu, Niger State.
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Justice Bello ruled that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, sentencing the defendants to death by hanging and ordering the forfeiture of all monetary exhibits recovered to the Federal Government.
In his words, Bello said the conviction was “the latest in a series of successful prosecutions by the DSS in its sustained operations against terrorism and organised cross‑border criminal networks across Nigeria.”
The ruling comes two weeks after the Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced five suspects arrested by the DSS on May 31, 2026, to twenty‑five years imprisonment each for their role in the November 21, 2025, attack on St. Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, Niger State.
Justice Binta Nyako presided over that case, where the defendants, including two Nigeriens, pleaded guilty to terrorism‑related charges under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and the Firearms Act.
