Justice Emeka Nwite delivered the sentence on Tuesday after Ismaila, also known as Mai Tangaran, pleaded guilty to a four-count terrorism charge brought by the secret police. The prosecution stated that Ismaila coordinated the 2012 attacks on Police Headquarters in Bompai, Kano State; Mobile Police Base on Kabuga Road, Kano; Pharm Centre Police Station, Kano; Angwa Uku Police Station, Kano; and other locations, which resulted in multiple injuries.
Following his arrest on August 31, 2017, at Tsamiyya Babba Village, Gezewa LGA, Kano State, Ismaila was arraigned on a four-count charge under the Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act, 2013. The trial experienced delays due to appeals and a trial-within-a-trial conducted to determine the voluntariness of the defendant’s extra-judicial statements. When the trial proceeded, the prosecution called five witnesses, including two DSS officials and two eyewitnesses to some of the attacks.
Although Ismaila initially pleaded not guilty during arraignment, he later changed his plea to guilty following the testimony of the fifth prosecution witness.Defence counsel P. B. Onijah of the Legal Aid Council urged the court for leniency, stating that Ismaila was remorseful, changed his plea to avoid wasting the court’s time, and regretted his involvement in terrorism. In his judgment, Justice Nwite found Ismaila guilty on all counts and sentenced him to 15 years for count one and 20 years each for counts two, three, and four. The judge ordered that the sentences run concurrently, starting from the date of his arrest, August 31, 2017.
Justice Nwite also directed the Controller-General of the Correctional Service to confine Ismaila in any prison of the Controller-General’s choice for the purpose of serving his sentence. He further stated that Ismaila must undergo rehabilitation and deradicalization after serving his term before being reintegrated into society.
Source: https://www.tvcnews.tv/
