A controversial ruling in Abuja has seen a Federal High Court sentence Boko Haram victim Ali Kolo and another man, Ibrahim Buba, to prison for failing to report terrorist activities to security authorities, in a case that has drawn attention due to the circumstances surrounding one of the convicts.
Justice Peter Lifu delivered the judgment, sentencing Kolo to nine years in prison after he pleaded guilty to withholding information on Boko Haram operations in Borno State, despite claiming he was himself a victim of insurgency.
Kolo told the court that he had earlier suffered during an insurgent attack, stating that he was shot in the leg while attempting to report Boko Haram activities to security agencies in Borno, an incident that left him hospitalised.
Prosecutors, led by David Kaswe, argued that the defendant knowingly failed to disclose critical information on terrorist movements in 2017, contrary to provisions of the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act, 2013.
The prosecution tendered Kolo’s extra-judicial statement and an investigation report, which were admitted as evidence without objection, showing that he did not alert authorities as required.
However, defence counsel, A.O. Usman, maintained that his client’s inability to report the matter was due to the gunshot injury he sustained while trying to reach security operatives.
In his judgment, Justice Lifu acknowledged the circumstances surrounding the case, noting that although Kolo failed in his duty to report, his condition and prior injury were mitigating factors.
The judge sentenced him to nine years’ imprisonment but ordered that the sentence take effect from 2017, when he was first arrested and has remained in custody.
He further directed that Kolo be released immediately, having already served a period exceeding the sentence while in detention, and allowed him to seek medical attention.
The court clarified that Kolo was not convicted for terrorism or membership of Boko Haram, but solely for failing to disclose information about the group’s activities.
In a related ruling, the court also sentenced Ibrahim Buba, a bricklayer, to ten years’ imprisonment for similar offences involving failure to report known Boko Haram members.
Buba, who admitted knowledge of some members of the group, said he fled Borno due to threats and was later arrested in Onitsha in 2023.
He was sentenced to ten years in prison, effective from March 24, 2023, after the court reduced the prosecution’s request of a 20-year term.
The Federal Government has also commenced mass trials involving suspected terrorism-related cases across the country.
