By Dennis Okechukwu
The Department of State Services (DSS) has announced plans to appeal the life imprisonment handed to two senior commanders of the Ansaru terrorist group, insisting that the punishment does not reflect the gravity of their crimes.
The Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Emeka Nwite, on Monday sentenced Mahmud Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a, Abbas or Mukhtar, and Abubakar Abba, also known as Mahmud al-Nigeri or Malam Mamuda, to life imprisonment after they pleaded guilty to a 32-count terrorism charge.
The charges included terrorism, terrorism financing, kidnapping for ransom, illegal mining, fabrication of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and other terrorism-related offences. In addition to the life sentence on two counts, the court imposed 20-year prison terms on the remaining charges, with the sentences taking effect from the date of their arrest.
However, a senior DSS official said the agency considers the life sentence inadequate and will seek a stiffer punishment on appeal.
According to the official, investigators found it significant that the two suspects changed their decision to plead not guilty shortly after pupils and teachers abducted in Oriire, Oyo State, were rescued.
The official alleged that during the nearly two-month captivity of the victims, the kidnappers demanded the unconditional release of the two Ansaru commanders as part of the conditions for freeing those abducted.
The DSS further claimed that the terrorists executed two teachers during the abduction to pressure the government into releasing the suspects.
The agency argued that imposing only life imprisonment on the convicted commanders would not adequately serve justice for the slain teachers and their families, maintaining that the circumstances of the case warrant a harsher penalty.
The DSS said it is preparing to challenge the judgment at the appellate court in pursuit of what it described as an appropriate sentence for the convicted terrorists.