Court sentences Boko Haram victim to 9 years in jail

Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has sentenced Ali Kolo, a a victim of the Boko Haram insurgency, to nine years imprisonment for failing to report terrorists activities after spending over 10 years in detention..

The convict told the court that he was a victim of Boko Haram insurgency as he was shot in the leg in Borno State while attempting to report the terrorists to the authorities.

The defendant was arraigned by the Federal Government on four counts but pleaded guilty to one count bordering on concealment of information about Boko Haram activities in the North-West state.

The prosecution counsel, Mr. David Kaswe, told the court that Kolo failed to disclose terrorist activities to security agencies as required under the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act, 2013.

Kaswe tendered the defendant’s extra-judicial statement and an investigation report to the court in evidence.

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Both documents were admitted without objection, indicating that Kolo failed to assist authorities in efforts to curb terrorist activities.

The prosecutor argued that the defendant knowingly withheld critical information from security agencies in 2017.

He urged the court to impose a 10-year sentence based on the guilty plea of the defendant and the evidence tendered before the court.

The defence counsel, Mr. A.O. Usman, told the court that Kolo was shot while attempting to report the terrorists and was hospitalised and thet was what prevented him from conveying the information to the authorities.

In his judgment, Justice Lifu held that although Kolo failed to report the terrorists, the omission resulted from circumstances beyond his control, including the gunshot injury he sustained.

The judge sentenced him to nine years imprisonment but ruled that term should start from 2017 when he was arrested and detained by authorities.

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