A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced Hussaini Ismaila, widely known as Mai Tangaran, a commander of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), to 20 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to multiple terrorism charges filed by the Department of State Services (DSS).
Justice Emeka Nwite handed down the ruling on Tuesday, concluding a case that had been prolonged for years due to repeated appeals and a trial-within-a-trial to confirm the voluntariness of Ismaila’s statements.
The prosecution identified Ismaila as the mastermind behind a series of coordinated attacks in Kano State in 2012. The assaults targeted police facilities, including the Police Headquarters in Bompai, the Mobile Police Base along Kabuga Road, Pharm Centre Police Station, and Angwa Uku Police Station, injuring several people and fueling a wave of extremist violence across northern Nigeria at the time.
Ismaila was arrested by the DSS on August 31, 2017, in Tsamiyya Babba Village, Gezawa Local Government Area, Kano State, and subsequently charged under the Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Act, 2013.
During the trial, five witnesses—including DSS operatives and civilians who witnessed the attacks—testified. Ismaila initially pleaded not guilty but changed his plea to guilty after the fifth prosecution witness completed their testimony.
His lawyer, P.B. Onijah of the Legal Aid Council, urged the court to show leniency, highlighting Ismaila’s remorse and his decision to plead guilty to avoid prolonging the trial. Onijah said his client regretted ever participating in acts of terrorism.
Justice Nwite convicted Ismaila on all four counts, sentencing him to 15 years on the first count and 20 years on the remaining counts, with all sentences to run concurrently from the date of his arrest.
The judge also instructed the Controller-General of the Nigeria Correctional Service to detain Ismaila in any facility of choice and ordered that he undergo rehabilitation and deradicalisation before reintegration into society.
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