Naija News.
Tuesday, July 9, 2013 -- The Abuja Court has sentenced four Boko Haram terrorists to life imprisonment, though there is a strict law in Nigeria that prescribes death penalty for those whose actions cause fatalities.
The court found the four guilty of partcipating in the Suleja and Nasarawa bombings which killed 19 people. The prosecutors brought conspiracy and assault charges against the suspects.
It would be recalled that the sentenced men were found guilty of masterminding and executing April 8, 2012, bombing on an electoral commission office that killed 16, and a July 10 bombing of a church that killed three persons.
The names of sentenced persons are Shuaibu Abubakar, Salisu Ahmed, Umar Babagana-Umar and Mohammed Ali.
It is also worth noting that Justice Bilkisu Aliyu discharged and acquitted Musa Adam ruling that none of the charges linked him to the actual commission of any terrorist act. In similar vein, the Judge sentenced Umar Ibrahim, the sixth suspect, to 10 years imprisonment, citing "innocence and tender age" for the lax penalty.
According to Aliyu, "In the case of the sixth accused person, he was neither directly involved in terrorist acts nor trained as a terrorist; he was misled to be an errand boy.
"His brother, the first accused person [Shuaibu] used him to take food to Boko Haram training camp in Suleja; he is quite young and has life ahead of him.
"In view of the plea from his lawyer, Mr Kevin Okoro, the court is persuaded to commit the sixth accused person[Ibrahim] to 10 years in prison.
"For the rest of the accused persons, the court is satisfied with the evidence brought against them. In most of the charges, the prosecution was able to prove beyond reasonable doubt why they should be convicted.
"It is clear that Abubakar, Ahmed, Babagana-Umar, and Ali are liable to the charges of causing death to several and injury to many others through their willful terrorist acts.
"It is also proven by the prosecution that the above four accused persons are members of Boko Haram and have undergone training to handle weapons and explosives for the purpose of causing death of innocent people.
"The convicts, minus the sixth accused person, used explosive materials used in blasting rocks on fellow human beings; those who got no defence.
"There is no human life that is worthier than the other. These convicts have deliberately used the explosives in the most brutal manner against other Nigerians.
"In the circumstance, the first to fourth accused persons are guilty as charged and are sentenced to life imprisonment while the sixth accused is sentenced to 10 years in prison.
"For the fifth accused person, Musa Adam, his only offence was that he was a friend of Bashir Madalla, the leader of the Sect, Madalla Chapter.
"The evidence brought against him is not strong because the charges did not link him to have committed any terrorist act with the rest accused person.
"In his defence, he explained how he warned Bashir Madalla, with whom they were teaching Islamic religion together to refrain from activism.''
Cross-examined by defence counsel Kevin Emeka Okoro, the witness denied having planted incriminating pictures on the mobile phones recovered from the suspects.
A prosecution witness, whose name was concealed for security purposes, testified that about 200 explosive devices were retrieved from the accused persons at the time of their arrest. Each of those devices, the witness said, was capable of bringing down an entire building.
Okoro and Nurunee Sulyman, the defence counsels, pleaded the court for showing some mercy on the grounds that the defendants have families to take care of, moreover, they are "first-time offenders"
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports, the State Security Service (SSS) arraigned the six suspects on Sept. 30, 2011 for their alleged involvement in Niger and Nasarawa bombings.
Apart from being suspected in bombings of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) premises, All Christian Fellowship Church and the PDP political rally in Suleja Niger State, the prosecution later linked them to the bombing of Azare Village that killed three persons and left many injured.
The defendants were charged under Section 15 (2) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Act 2004 and punishable under the law.
The acquitted Musa Adam, speaking to journalists, expressed satisfaction on his discharge and claimed, "I am truly innocent." He further advised the young ones to be wary of "contrary teachings by clergymen", explaining that "a lot of religious teachers are responsible for the present religious activism in the country''.
The two defence counsels are determined to test the strength of the judgment in a superior court.
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