A Federal High Court sitting in Dawaki, Abuja, has convicted and sentenced four Boko Haram financiers to various jail term.
According to the Nation, the Spokesperson for the Attorney General of the Federatiob, Kamarudeen Ogundele, disclosed this on Monday, noting that the quartet of Aisami, Zarama, Mohammed and Kame, were arraigned separately before Justices Binta Nyako and Emeka Nwite
The conviction of the terror suspects – Modu Aisami, Zana Zarama, Umar Mohammed and Bunu Kame – was secured by a prosecuting team led by the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria
Reports of their conviction came on a day the Federal Ministry of Justice announced the trial terror suspects simultaneously in Kainji, Niger State Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory .
The suspects are being held in military formations across the country.
Ogundele explained that the four pleaded guilty when the charges were read to them and that they begged for leniency.
He said the defence team was led by a lawyer from the Legal Aid Council , F.A. Bakre.
The charges were filed by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Mohammed Abubakar.
In one of the charges, Aisami was accused of providing funds to the terrorist group by buying food products from the group, having reasonable grounds to believe that the proceed will be used to commit a terrorist act therefore committed an offence contrary to Section 13(1)(a)(ii) of the Terrorism Provision Amendment Act, 2013.
In one of her rulings, Justice Nyako convicted Aisami after he pleaded guilty to counts 2 and 3 as contained in the charge sheet.
Justice Nyako said, “I find him guilty as charged and he is convicted accordingly. I hereby sentence the convict to 20 years imprisonment for each of the offences. They are to run concurrently.”
The judge also convicted Zarama and sentenced him to 10 years imprisonment for concealing the identity of a Boko Haram member, Modu Sulum.
Justice Nyako stated further that the jail terms should run from the day the convicts had been in custody.
In another trial Justice Emeka Nwite convicted the duo of Mohammed and Kame. Mohammed was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.
The AGF confirmed the resumption of the terror suspects’ prosecution in Kainji and Abuja under what he called, “The Kainji Prosecution Project Phase IV.”
It was gathered that the trial is taking place under a special arrangement where judges, prosecutors and defence lawyers are taken to a particular location for the sole purpose of prosecuting these detained terror suspects.
It is the fourth of such exercise which was first carried out in 2017 in view of the concern over the security implication should such trial be conducted in a regular court environment.
Fagbemi described the resumption of trial as a positive step in government’s efforts to secure the country.
While speaking on the achievements recorded during the previous prosecutions, Fagbemi gave the assurance that his ministry will support the process and assist in processes targeted as de-radicalisation and reintegration of deserving terrorists.
He said, “The first phase of the Kainji Prosecution Project commenced in October 2017 with remarkable achievements where we recorded a total of 366 convictions, 896 others were discharged for want of sufficient evidence and 61 other cases adjourned for further hearing.
“There have been three phases of the exercise so far, spanning between October 2017 and July 2018.
“I must, at this point, challenge all stakeholders to ensure that the momentum is sustained, seeing how important this assignment is to the wellbeing of our beloved country and her people.
“We have made tremendous efforts to ensure that the trials are conducted with due regard to the provisions of the Constitution regarding openness as much as can be permitted in the circumstances and providing the suspects with adequate opportunities to make their defence.
“I would like to urge the prosecutors and defence counsel to continue to maintain the highest levels of professional standards in this national assignment,” Fagbemi said.
Noting that terrorism has cost the country a lot, the AGF stated that the exercise was an important one that should be taken seriously by everyone involved.
“Terrorism has cost us a lot as a nation. From the communities directly affected, to the staggering losses in human and material resources, displacements, political and economic instability and the general atmosphere of fear it has created, all point to how crucial this exercise is to our progress and prosperity as a nation.
“Conversely, if the process is mismanaged and, as a result, the security situation is allowed to fester, it may lead to existential crises in the very long run.
“I, therefore, pledge my total support to the cause as I urge the stakeholders once again to continue in the good job,” the AGF said.
The minister equally called on judges and magistrates to ensure the effective deployment of the non-custodial sentencing options in deserving cases.
He said that when adequately utilised, non-custodial sentencing measures possess the potential of reducing prison population and the number of awaiting trial inmates.
The AGF spoke in Abuja at the opening session of a two-day workshop on the implementation of non-custodial measures and sentencing guidelines under the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.
Fagbemi, represented at the event by the Director of Administration of Criminal Justice and Reforms Department/Correctional Unit of the Federal Ministry of Justice, Mrs. Leticia Ayoola Daniels.
He explained that the purpose of non-custodial measures is to find effective alternatives to imprisonment for offenders, a practice that accords with the current global shift in punishing convicts with alternatives to prison terms.
“The aim of the trend is to give the judges and magistrates much latitude and discretion to award befitting and purposeful punishment to convicts aside the punishment suggested by the statute creating the offence.
“Today, we have seen countless cases where defendants are arrested for minor offences and locked up in prisons, adding to the population of awaiting trial inmates.
“These offenders, remanded with hardened criminals, end up being initiated into a life of crime instead of being reformed.
“The aim of this workshop is to share knowledge on the effective use of these instruments that will lead to a decrease in arbitrary punishments, uniformity in punishments, and the utilisation of alternatives to imprisonment to decrease the population of awaiting trial inmates.
“It is our hope that the non-custodial measures and sentencing guidelines will be more operational and effectively implemented in order to achieve the objectives and purposes of the reforms in the criminal sector.”
The AGF vowed that the Justice Ministry, as the leading stakeholder in justice administration, will develop appropriate frameworks and measures to surmount the unique challenges in the criminal justice sector and boost the application of law to align with international best practices.
Judges, magistrates, prosecutors and other stakeholders in the criminal justice administration system were participants at the workshop.
