A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced a woman, Halima Haliru Umar, to 20 years imprisonment after convicting her of unlawful possession of 302 rounds of AK-47 live ammunition and attempting to provide support for acts of terrorism. The Department of State Services (DSS) arrested the convict in Plateau State before arraigning her on March 11 on a four-count charge. She pleaded guilty to counts three and four of the charge.
Following her guilty plea, Justice Hauwa Yilwa adjourned for judgment on the admitted counts, while the remaining two counts will proceed to trial at a later date. Delivering judgment on Friday, Justice Yilwa held that the defendant had admitted the facts of the case as presented by the prosecution and was therefore convicted. “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,” the judge ruled.
The defence counsel, Hamza Dantani, pleaded for leniency, describing the convict as a first-time offender and a nursing mother of a one-year-old child, who did not waste the court’s time. He urged the court to temper justice with mercy. However, the prosecution counsel, Dr. Caliatus Eze, said there was no record of previous conviction against the defendant.
Justice Yilwa subsequently sentenced her to 20 years imprisonment on count three and one year on count four. The case was adjourned until July 9 for the commencement of trial on counts one and two in charge number FHC/ABJ/CR/450/2025, to which she pleaded not guilty.
According to the DSS, the offences occurred on July 7, 2025, in Barkin Ladi and Jos North Local Government Areas of Plateau State, where the convict was allegedly found in possession of 302 rounds of AK-47 ammunition and attempted to transport them as part of a terrorist support network. A DSS operative, Fahad Tahir, told the court that the suspect was transferred to the agency’s Abuja headquarters on August 11, 2025, following her arrest by the Plateau State Command. He said investigators recovered 302 rounds of ammunition, a confessional statement in Hausa and English, a recorded interview, an investigation report, and N57,100 from her.
Tahir further testified that the defendant claimed she was instructed by one Sani to travel to Zaria and later to Jos, where she was handed a bag containing the ammunition, before being arrested on her return journey. He added that her statements were recorded in Hausa and translated into English, as she is not fluent in English.
