Court jails ISWAP commander 20 years after guilty plea
A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced Hussaini Ismaila, a commander of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), to 20 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to multiple terrorism charges brought against him by the Department of State Services (DSS).
Justice Emeka Nwite delivered the ruling after Ismaila, also known as Mai Tangaran, admitted to a four-count charge linking him to coordinated attacks across Kano State.
According to the prosecution, Ismaila served as the coordinator of the 2012 attacks on the Police Headquarters in Bompai, the Mobile Police Base on Kabuga Road, the Pharm Centre Police Station, and the Angwa Uku Police Station, among several other locations, where many people were injured.
Ismaila was arrested on August 31, 2017, at Tsamiyya Babba Village in Gezewa Local Government Area of Kano State. He was subsequently arraigned under the Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act, 2013.
The trial was stalled for years due to appeals and a trial-within-trial convened to determine the voluntariness of his extra-judicial statements. When the case eventually resumed, the prosecution called five witnesses, including two DSS operatives and two eyewitnesses to some of the attacks.
Though Ismaila initially pleaded not guilty, he changed his plea after the fifth prosecution witness testified.
His counsel, P. B. Onijah of the Legal Aid Council (LAC), pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy, stating that the defendant was remorseful and chose to change his plea to avoid wasting the court’s time.
In his judgment, Justice Nwite convicted him on all counts, sentencing him to 15 years on count one and 20 years each on counts two, three, and four. The judge ruled that all sentences would run concurrently and should take effect from the date of his arrest, August 31, 2017.
Justice Nwite further directed the Controller-General of the Correctional Service to confine Ismaila in any facility of their choice. He also ordered that the convict undergo rehabilitation and deradicalization upon completion of his term before re-entering society.
