Sokoto Court Sentences Three Men to Death for Terrorism, Arms Trafficking

A High Court in Sokoto State has sentenced three men, including a foreign national from Niger Republic, to death by hanging after finding them guilty of terrorism-related offences and illegal arms proliferation.

The convicts, Yusuf Muhammad, also known as Sallau, a Nigerien citizen, alongside Jabbi Alhaji Yalle and Kabiru Muhammad, were prosecuted following investigations by the Department of State Services (DSS). They were arrested on June 13, 2025, by the agency’s Counter-Terrorism Unit over their alleged involvement in cross-border criminal activities, arms trafficking, and terrorism.

Delivering judgment in the case, Justice Muhammad Nuraddeen Bello of High Court No. 23, Sokoto, held that the prosecution had established its case against the defendants. The court subsequently convicted all three men and imposed the death penalty by hanging. The judge also ordered that all funds and monetary exhibits recovered during the investigation be forfeited to the Federal Government.

The ruling marks another major conviction secured in recent weeks as Nigerian authorities intensify efforts to combat terrorism, banditry, and the illegal movement of weapons across the country’s borders.

The Sokoto judgment follows a series of similar terrorism-related convictions. Earlier this month, a Federal High Court in Katsina sentenced Hauwa’u Mukhtar to death after she was convicted of terrorism offences linked to the transportation of 438 rounds of ammunition allegedly destined for a notorious bandit leader operating in Zamfara State. The court ruled that prosecutors had proved the charges beyond reasonable doubt.

In another high-profile case, four suspects were sentenced to death over their involvement in the deadly attack on worshippers at Saint Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, which claimed more than 40 lives. The defendants were prosecuted on terrorism charges following investigations by security agencies.

Security analysts view the recent convictions as part of a broader strategy by law enforcement and judicial authorities to dismantle terrorist networks, disrupt arms supply chains, and strengthen accountability for violent crimes across the country.