A housewife, Haliru Halima Umar, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges of unlawful possession of 302 rounds of live ammunition of AK-47 Rifles brought against her by the Department of State Service, DSS.
Justice Hauwa Joseph Yilwa of the Federal High Court pronounced the judgment in Abuja on Friday.
Although, the convict was remorseful and begged for leniency, Justice Yilwa said the issue of banditry has become a cancer threatening the lives of citizens and should not be treated with kid gloves
At the arraignment, she also admitted to rendering support for the commission of acts of terrorism by serving as a courier for supplying ammunition to bandits in Plateau State.
At the proceedings, a DSS operative and first prosecution witness, Fahad Tahir, narrated to the court how the housewife was on July 6, 2025, apprehended by DSS operatives with 302 rounds of AK-47 Rifle live ammunition and N57,100 cash while being transported to a group of bandits in Plateau State.
Upon arrest, the witness had said that the accused person made a statement in Hausa language at the Plateau Command office of the DSS admitting that one, Alhaji Sani sent her to Zaria in Kaduna State to procure the ammunition from another person.
Tahir said the accused person was on August 11, 2025 subsequently moved from Plateau State to Abuja, teh national headquarters of the DSS, where the second round of interview was conducted.
The DSS operatives explained that in the presence of a lawyer from the Legal Aid Council, the accused person made another statement in Hausa language, admitting her arrest with the ammunition and the N57,100 cash.
Led in evidence-in-chief by DSS counsel, Dr Callistus Samson Ezeh, the witness tendered the 302 live ammunition, N57,100 cash, and her statements, among others, which were admitted as exhibits following no objections by Hamza Dantani, lawyer to the defendant.
In the open court, the accused person was shown the live ammunition and the cash and confessed that she was arrested with them.
The charges read; “COUNT ONE; That you, Halima Haliru Umar of Unguwan Boka, Faskari LGA, Katsina State, Adult, female, sometime in July, 2025, at Faskari LGA, Katsina State and Barkin Ladi LGA, Plateau State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did knowingly conceal information about one Alhaji Sani and one Alhaji (fnu), suspected Gun-runners, Bandits and Kidnappers, knowing the information to be of material assistance in apprehending and preventing the commissioning of acts of terrorism, but failed to disclose the information to any Law Enforcement or Security Officer, and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 16 (1) of Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
“COUNT TWO: That you, Halima Haliru Umar of Unguwan Boka, Faskari LGA, Katsina State, Adult, female, sometime on 6” and 7 July, 2025, at Faskari LGA, Katsina State and Barkin Ladi LGA, Plateau State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did knowingly render support for the commission of acts of terrorism by providing material assistance and transportation of Three Hundred and Two (302) rounds of AK-47 Rifle live ammunitions, and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 13 (1) of Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
“COUNT THREE; “That you, Halima Haliru Umar of Unguwan Boka, Faskari LGA, Katsina State, Adult, female, sometime on 7th July, 2025, at Barkin Ladi LGA and Jos North LGA of Plateau State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did attempt to render support for the commission of acts of terrorism by providing material assistance and transportation of Three Hundred and Two (302) rounds of AK-47 Rifle live ammunitions, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 28 (1) of Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and punishable under Sectio 13 (1) of Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
“COUNT FOUR; That you, Halima Haliru Umar of Unguwan Boka, Faskari LGA, Katsina State, Adult, female, sometime on 7th July, 2025, at Jos North LGA of Plateau State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did have in your possession Three Hundred and Two (302) rounds of AK-47 Rifle live ammunitions, and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 8(1) of the Firearms Act 2004 and punishable under section 27(1) of the same Act.”
