Woman Arrested By DSS With 302 AK-47 Bullets Sentenced to 20 Years
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has sentenced a woman, Halima Haliru Umar, to 20 years imprisonment for unlawful possession of 302 rounds of AK-47 live ammunition and attempting to support acts of terrorism.Justice Hauwa Yilwa delivered the judgment on Friday after the defendant pleaded guilty to two counts in a four-count charge filed against her by the Department of State Services (DSS).Halima, who was arrested in Plateau State, admitted to attempting to transport the ammunition in support of terrorist activities and unlawfully possessing the ammunition.The court held that by pleading guilty during her arraignment on March 11, the defendant accepted the facts presented by the prosecution without challenging the evidence.“The defendant, having admitted the facts of the offence as presented by the prosecution, the court is satisfied. She is accordingly convicted on counts three and four,” Justice Yilwa ruled.Following her conviction, defence counsel, Hamza Dantani, pleaded for leniency, describing the defendant as a first-time offender who showed remorse and cooperated with the court proceedings.He further informed the court that the convict is a nursing mother of a one-year-old child who was arrested alongside her, urging the court to temper justice with mercy.However, the court sentenced Halima to 20 years imprisonment on count three relating to terrorism support, and one year imprisonment on count four bordering on illegal possession of ammunition.The court subsequently adjourned the matter till July 9 for trial on the remaining two counts to which the defendant pleaded not guilty on the charge, marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/450/2025.The two counts that the convict admitted are:*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 ammunition, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 28 (1) of Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and punishable under Section 13 (1) of Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
