Abuja Court Jails Notorious ISWAP Commander After Eight-Year Legal Battle
In a significant judicial outcome, the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has finally convicted and sentenced Hussaini Ismaila, a high-ranking commander of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), to 20 years imprisonment. The judgment was delivered by Justice Emeka Nwite, bringing closure to a terrorism case that had been plagued by delays for over eight years.
Guilty Plea and Sentencing Details
Hussaini Ismaila, who also goes by the alias Mai Tangaran, shocked the courtroom when he changed his longstanding not-guilty plea to an admission of guilt for all terrorism charges. The charges were related to his role as the coordinator of a series of violent attacks on multiple police formations in Kano State in 2012. The prosecution, led by the Department of State Services (DSS), had already presented five witnesses, including operatives and eyewitnesses, before Ismaila's unexpected plea.
In his ruling, Justice Nwite sentenced the convict to fifteen years on the first count and twenty years on each of the three subsequent counts. The judge, however, ordered that the sentences run concurrently, meaning Ismaila will serve a maximum of twenty years in prison. The court also directed that his jail term be calculated from the date of his arrest on August 31, 2017, effectively reducing the time he has left to serve.
The Path to Conviction: Arrest and Trial Delays
The journey to this conviction began with Ismaila's arrest in Tsamiyya Babba Village in Gezewa Local Government Area during a DSS operation in 2017. He was subsequently arraigned on a four-count charge under the Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act of 2013.
The trial, however, faced significant procedural hurdles. The defence team repeatedly challenged the admissibility of Ismaila's extra-judicial statements, forcing the court to initiate a trial-within-trial and causing years of adjournments and appeals. It was only after the testimony of the fifth prosecution witness that the defendant opted to plead guilty.
His lawyer, P. B. Onijah from the Legal Aid Council, pleaded for leniency, stating that his client had shown genuine remorse and changed his plea to save judicial time and resources. Onijah further argued that Ismaila deeply regretted his involvement in terrorist activities and wished to take full responsibility for his actions.
Rehabilitation and Reintegration Order
In a notable aspect of the judgment, Justice Nwite issued an order for the convict to undergo mandatory rehabilitation and deradicalisation upon completion of his prison sentence. This directive, to be overseen by the Controller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service, is intended to ensure that Ismaila is no longer a threat to society before he is reintegrated. The court emphasized that this measure was crucial for long-term public safety.
The convicted ISWAP commander was found responsible for coordinating attacks that targeted the Police Headquarters in Bompai, the Mobile Police Base on Kabuga Road, the Pharm Centre Police Station, and the Angwa Uku Police Station. These violent operations resulted in numerous injuries among police officers and civilians, spreading widespread fear throughout Kano State at the time.
