Court Sentences Boko Haram Victim, Orders Immediate Release After Time Served

Justice Peter Odo Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced a Boko Haram victim, Ali Kolo, to nine years imprisonment for failing to report the activities of the terrorist group.

Kolo, who was shot in the right leg by Boko Haram insurgents in Borno State, was found guilty on Thursday after pleading to a one-count charge of concealment of information.

He was initially arraigned by the Federal Government on a four-count charge but admitted to failing to relay information about the terrorists to security agencies, contrary to the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act, 2013.

The prosecution, led by David Kaswe, told the court that the defendant failed to provide relevant intelligence to the military in 2017. Evidence tendered included Kolo’s extra-judicial statement and an investigation report, both admitted without objection from defence counsel, Mrs A.O Usman.

Kaswe urged the court to impose a 10-year jail term based on the defendant’s guilty plea and admissions.

However, the defence argued that Kolo was on his way to report the terrorists when he was attacked and shot with an AK-47 rifle, leaving him hospitalised and unable to fulfil the obligation.

In his judgment, Justice Lifu acknowledged that the defendant failed to report the activities but ruled that the failure was due to circumstances beyond his control.

The judge sentenced Kolo to nine years imprisonment but ordered that the sentence take effect from 2017, when he was first detained.

Justice Lifu noted that the convict had already spent over 10 years in custody and therefore ordered his immediate release to enable him seek medical attention for injuries sustained during the Boko Haram attack.

Despite reservations expressed by the prosecution, the court maintained that Kolo was not convicted for membership or participation in terrorist activities but solely for failure to disclose information.

The judge held that continued detention would amount to double jeopardy, adding that the convict had “suffered enough.”

In a related development, the court also sentenced another defendant, Ibrahim Buba, to 10 years imprisonment for failing to report Boko Haram activities.

Buba, a bricklayer from Borno State, admitted knowing some members of the terrorist group but failed to inform authorities, opting instead to flee to Mubi in Adamawa State and later to Onitsha in Anambra State, where he was arrested in 2023.

Justice Lifu ordered that Buba’s sentence take effect from March 24, 2023, the date of his arrest and detention.