A High Court in Sokoto State has sentenced three men, including a foreign national, to death by hanging after finding them guilty of terrorism-related offences and illegal arms trafficking.
The convicts: Yusuf Muhammad, also known as Sallau, a citizen of Niger Republic, alongside Jabbi Alhaji Yalle and Kabiru Muhammad were arrested on June 13, 2025, by the Counter Terrorism Unit of the Department of State Services (DSS) over their involvement in cross-border terrorism and arms proliferation activities.
Delivering judgment in the case, Justice Muhammad Nuraddeen Bello of High Court No. 23, Sokoto, found the defendants guilty on all counts and imposed the death penalty by hanging.
The court also ordered that all funds and monetary exhibits recovered from the convicts be forfeited to the Federal Government.
The ruling marks another significant outcome in the DSS’s ongoing efforts to combat terrorism and dismantle organised criminal networks operating across Nigeria’s borders.
The judgment comes shortly after a separate terrorism-related conviction by the Federal High Court in Abuja, where five suspects linked to the November 2025 attack on St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State, were sentenced to 25 years imprisonment each after pleading guilty to terrorism charges.
According to court records in that case, the suspects were involved in supporting terrorist activities by facilitating the movement of 15 AK-103 rifles and approximately 1,434 rounds of live ammunition from the Diffa region of Niger Republic to a suspected member of the Boko Haram operating in Niger State.
Authorities say the convictions reflect continued efforts by security agencies and the judiciary to address terrorism financing, arms trafficking, and other security threats affecting the country.
