Court sentences mother and sister of former terrorist leader Battujo to 40‑year prison terms.

On Friday, the Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced two women, who had been arrested by the Department of State Services for terrorism‑related activities, to 40 years in prison.

Safiya Salihu and Halima Abdullahi, the mother and sister of the deceased terrorist leader Kachallah Ibrahim Battujo, were convicted. Battujo was neutralised by Nigerian security forces on June 10, 2026, in a forest close to Iluke in the Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State.

Justice Hauwa Joseph Yilwa imposed the sentences after the women admitted guilt to Counts 2, 4 and 5 of the five‑count terrorism indictment filed by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation.

They were not convicted on Counts 1 and 3, which involved receiving N490,300 from Battujo—knowledge that it was terrorism proceeds—and receiving sponsorship for a religious pilgrimage financed by those proceeds.

The Director of Public Prosecutions, Oyedepo Rotimi, SAN, requested that the court dismiss those two counts while maintaining convictions on the remaining ones.

Under Count 2, the women are alleged to have aided and abetted Battujo, a notorious bandit kingpin, by sharing information via telephone conversations, an act punishable under Section 26 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

Alongside the admission to Count 2, Battujo’s mother also pleaded guilty to Count 5, which concerns concealing information about her son’s terrorism activities.

The sister likewise pleaded guilty to Count 2 and to Count 4, which involves concealing evidence that her brother had illegally obtained firearms, an act she witnessed during a visit to his forest camp.

Each count carries a 20‑year sentence, but Justice Yilwa directed that the sentences run concurrently, after which the convicts will be subjected to rehabilitation.