Court Sentences Female Arms Courier to 20 Years for Supplying AK-47 Ammunition to Bandits

A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced a woman, identified as Halima Haliru Umar, to 20 years imprisonment for transporting 302 rounds of live AK-47 ammunition allegedly meant for armed bandits operating in Plateau State.

The judgment was delivered by Justice Hauwa Joseph Yilwa after the defendant pleaded guilty to two counts bordering on unlawful possession of ammunition and providing support for terrorism-related activities.

According to court proceedings, the case was prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS), which accused Umar of acting as a courier for suspected criminal elements involved in banditry and terrorism.

A DSS operative, Fahad Tahir, told the court that the convict was arrested on July 6, 2025, while transporting 302 rounds of AK-47 live ammunition alongside N57,100 in cash. Investigators said the ammunition was allegedly being delivered to bandits in Plateau State.

The court heard that Umar confessed during interrogation that she had been instructed by a man identified as Alhaji Sani to travel to Zaria, Kaduna State, to collect the ammunition from another contact before transporting it onward.

Tahir further testified that the suspect was later transferred to the DSS National Headquarters in Abuja on August 11, 2025, where she reportedly made another confessional statement in the presence of a lawyer from the Legal Aid Council.

During the trial, prosecution counsel Dr. Callistus Samson Ezeh tendered the ammunition, the recovered cash, and the defendant’s statements as exhibits. The exhibits were admitted by the court without objection from the defence counsel, Hamza Dantani.

Justice Yilwa, while delivering judgment, described terrorism, banditry and illegal arms trafficking as serious threats to national security. The judge held that offences connected to terrorism should not be treated lightly because of the prevailing security challenges facing the country.

One of the charges stated that the convict knowingly supported acts of terrorism by transporting the ammunition between Katsina and Plateau states, contrary to provisions of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. Another charge bordered on unlawful possession of ammunition under the Firearms Act.

Following her guilty plea and the evidence presented by the DSS, the court sentenced Umar to 20 years imprisonment.