The Punch reports that a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Tuesday convicted three persons for participating in acts of terrorism and being members of the outlawed Boko Haram sect. The convicts – Ali Mohammed, Adamu Karumi and Ibrahim Usman – will collectively spend 75 years in jail. The trio were among the 17 suspected insurgents arraigned before Justice Buba on eight counts of conspiracy to commit terrorism, illegal possession of firearms and being members of the violent sect.
Arraigned along with them but discharged before the conclusion of the trial were Bala Haruna, Idris Ali, Mohammed Murtala, Kadiri Mohammed, Mustapha Daura, Abba Duguri and Sanni Adamu. Others were Danjuma Yahaya, Musa Audu, Mati Daura, Farouk Haruna, Abdullahi Azeez, Ibrahim Bukar and Zula Diani. Efforts by one of our correspondents to find out the reason for their discharge yielded no result because the trial had since it started in November 2013 and ended on Tuesday was in secret.
It was gathered that the Attorney-General of Lagos State and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ade Ipaye, had, by nolle prosequi, discontinued criminal proceedings against some of the accused, hence their discharge . On Tuesday only Muhammed, Karumi, Usman and Haruna were brought before Justice Ibrahim Buba for judgment. The judgment was also delivered in camera but a source who witnessed the proceedings later gave journalists the facts on condition of anonymity.
He said that before delivering the judgment, Buba ordered journalists, litigants and lawyers in other matters to vacate the courtroom. According to the prosecution, the offences contravened the provisions of Sections 13(2) and 17(b) of the Terrorism Act 2013 as well as Sections 1, 8, 27 (1) (a) and (b) of the Firearms (special provisions) Act, Cap F28, Laws of the Federation, 2004.