Banditry: Court jails mother, sister of slain kingpin Battujo for 40 Years each over terrorism support

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday convicted and sentenced the mother and sister of late bandit kingpin Kachallah Ibrahim Battujo to 40 years imprisonment each for offences bordering on terrorism support.

The convicts, Safiya Salihu and Halima Abdullahi, were found guilty of providing information to Battujo through telephone conversations and failing to report his activities to security agencies, actions the court held amounted to aiding terrorism under the Terrorism (Prevention) (Prohibition) Act, 2022.

Delivering judgment, Justice Hauwa Yilwa said the prosecution established that the women knowingly maintained contact with the bandit leader and had visited his forest camp, where they observed his possession of firearms but failed to alert law enforcement authorities.

The court noted that their actions constituted concealment of material information that could have aided Battujo’s arrest and prosecution, thereby violating provisions of the anti-terrorism law.

Both defendants had pleaded guilty to counts relating to aiding and abetting terrorist activities, while they were discharged on charges involving alleged receipt of proceeds of terrorism and sponsorship of pilgrimage travel.

According to court records, the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation prosecuted the case, with the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), urging the court to convict on the remaining counts.

The judgment forms part of ongoing efforts by Nigerian authorities to clamp down on terrorism financing, intelligence support networks, and logistical assistance to bandit groups operating across parts of the North-West and North-Central regions.

Battujo, described as a notorious bandit commander, was killed by security forces on June 10, 2026, in a forest near Iluke in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State.

The ruling underscores the judiciary’s growing focus on prosecuting not only armed actors but also individuals found to have provided indirect support to criminal and terrorist networks.

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