The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday sentenced a former senatorial candidate from Borno State, Babagana Habeeb, to 10 years imprisonment for aiding terrorism.
Delivering judgment, Justice Peter Lifu convicted Habeeb on a one-count charge filed by the Federal Government bordering on aiding and abetting terrorist activities through the supply of petroleum products to insurgents.
Habeeb, a fuel dealer based in Maiduguri and a 2015 senatorial candidate, had earlier pleaded guilty during arraignment to selling fuel in the North-East region.
He, however, claimed that his station attendants might have carried out the transactions without his direct involvement.
During proceedings, the convict pleaded for leniency, kneeling in the dock and appealing to the judge for mercy. He said he had two wives and six children and had been in detention for over 10 years without any contact with his family.
The prosecuting counsel, Mr. David Kaswe, opposed the plea, arguing that the support enabled terrorist attacks that resulted in deaths and displacement across the North-East. He urged the court to impose a stiffer sentence of 20 years despite the prolonged detention.
Kaswe maintained that fuel supplies were critical to the insurgents’ operations, aiding their mobility during attacks and escape into remote areas.
In his ruling, Justice Lifu held that there was no evidence linking Habeeb to membership of the terrorist group or participation in training. The court noted that the only offence established was the sale of fuel to insurgents.
The judge also observed that the prosecution did not dispute the claim that the defendant had already spent over a decade in detention.
Consequently, Habeeb was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment, with the term to run from the date of his arrest and detention.
Given that he has already spent more than 10 years in custody, the court ordered that he be released immediately after completing the necessary formalities and signing his release warrant, and directed that he undergo rehabilitation.
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