The Department of State Services (DSS) is set to appeal the prison sentences handed to three men convicted in separate terrorism-related cases, arguing that the punishments do not reflect the gravity of their offences.
Security sources said the Service is dissatisfied with the 32-year and 10-year jail terms imposed by a Federal High Court in Kano on Jamilu Ibrahim and Rayya Haruna, respectively. The DSS is also challenging a 10-year sentence handed by a Katsina State High Court to the 80-year-old Village Head of Salihawa in Safana Local Government Area, Audu Adamu Tubali.
The three convicts were arrested by DSS operatives in separate operations that led to the recovery of significant quantities of arms and ammunition.
According to the prosecution, Ibrahim was intercepted while attempting to deliver weapons to a notorious Katsina-based bandit kingpin known as Karami. He was found in possession of four Rocket-Propelled Grenades (RPGs) and 832 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition for AK-47 rifles.
A security source described the sentences as “a slap on the wrist” when compared with the severity of the offences and cited previous convictions secured by the DSS in similar cases.
The source referenced the case of Hauwa’u Mukhtar, an alleged arms courier who was recently sentenced to death by a Federal High Court in Katsina after being arrested at Jibia Motor Park with 438 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition allegedly destined for a notorious bandit leader in Zamfara State’s Dumburum Forest.
“Where the courts have imposed the maximum penalty in cases involving the supply of arms to bandit and terrorist networks, the DSS believes similar treatment should apply to Ibrahim, Haruna and Tubali, particularly as the weapons recovered from them were more lethal,” the source said.
The source added that the Service would pursue all available legal avenues to ensure that “the full weight of the law is brought to bear on all offenders without fear or favour.”
Another security source said the planned appeals form part of the DSS’s broader effort to secure stiffer judicial sanctions that will serve as a stronger deterrent against arms trafficking and support for terrorist and bandit groups operating across Nigeria.
