The Sokoto State High Court has sentenced two Nigerians and a Nigerien to death by hanging after finding them guilty of terrorism and arms trafficking.
The convicts, identified as Yusuf Muhammad, popularly known as Sallau, Kabiru Muhammad, and Nigerien national Jabbi Alhaji Yalle, were convicted on Wednesday by Justice Nuraddeen Muhammad Bello of High Court 23 in Sokoto.
Delivering judgment in suit number SS/45C/2026, Justice Bello held that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, relying on the overwhelming evidence presented before the court.
The judge consequently sentenced the three men to death by hanging and ordered that all monies and other exhibits recovered from them be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The convicts were arrested on June 13, 2025, by the Counter-Terrorism Unit of the Department of State Services (DSS) over their alleged involvement in cross-border criminal activities, including terrorism and illegal arms trafficking.
The prosecution maintained that the trio operated within a network engaged in the proliferation of arms and other activities linked to terrorism.
Reacting to the judgment, residents of Sokoto commended the DSS for its efforts in tackling organised cross-border crimes and terrorism, urging the agency to sustain its crackdown on criminal networks threatening national security.
They also called on security agencies and judicial authorities to continue ensuring the speedy prosecution of terrorism-related offences to serve as a deterrent to others.
