A Federal High Court in Abuja has handed 40-year prison sentences to two women accused of supporting a late suspected bandit commander, Kachallah Ibrahim Battujo, following their conviction on terrorism-related charges.

The ruling highlights how Nigeria’s counterterrorism prosecutions are increasingly extending beyond armed fighters to family members and alleged logistical supporters linked to insurgent networks.

On Friday, Justice Hauwa Joseph Yilwa of the Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced Safiya Salihu and Halima Abdullahi to 40 years in prison each after they pleaded guilty to multiple terrorism-related counts filed by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation.

The court found that both women had links to activities surrounding Kachallah Ibrahim Battujo, described by security agencies as a bandit kingpin who was reportedly killed by Nigerian forces on June 10, 2026, in a forest area near Iluke in Kogi State’s Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area.

According to the charge details read in court, the women were accused of:

• Passing information to Battujo through phone conversations
Receiving funds amounting to ₦490,300 suspected to be proceeds of terrorism

• Assisting concealment of firearms and operational details
Involvement in attempts to shield terrorism-related activities from authorities

While they pleaded guilty to counts linked to aiding and abetting terrorism (Section 26 of the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act, 2022), the court struck out two counts relating to financial transactions and pilgrimage sponsorship allegedly funded through illicit proceeds.

Prosecutors, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Oyedepo Rotimi, urged the court to proceed with convictions on the remaining charges, which the judge accepted.

Although each count carried a potential 20-year sentence, Justice Yilwa ordered the sentences to run concurrently, resulting in an effective 40-year term before rehabilitation considerations.

Different Nigerian media outlets have reported variations of this case with slightly different emphases:

Daily Post Nigeria framed the case around a family link to a slain terrorist figure, highlighting the mother-and-sister relationship and describing the accused as relatives of a bandit kingpin.

Other legal-focused outlets have traditionally emphasized similar DSS terrorism convictions in Abuja courts involving logistics, ammunition handling, or material support networks, often without naming broader family structures unless directly established in evidence.

However, across reports, a consistent theme emerges: Nigerian courts are increasingly focusing on support networks rather than only armed operatives, especially under the expanded scope of the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act, 2022.

This case reflects a broader shift in Nigeria’s counterterrorism strategy, where enforcement agencies are targeting not only frontline fighters but also individuals accused of enabling insurgent operations indirectly—through communication, financial transactions, or concealment of intelligence.

Security analysts have long argued that groups operating in regions such as North-West and North-Central Nigeria rely heavily on informal civilian support structures. These include relatives, local informants, and financial intermediaries who may or may not fully participate in violence but still sustain operational capacity.

In recent years, similar prosecutions have emerged across Abuja courts involving alleged collaborators linked to armed groups in Zamfara, Kaduna, and Niger States, reflecting a pattern where intelligence-led arrests are translated into courtroom convictions under expanded terrorism statutes.

The legal framework under Nigeria’s 2022 anti-terrorism law revision gives prosecutors broader discretion to pursue charges tied to “material support,” a category that can include communication and indirect financial involvement. While this strengthens enforcement tools, it has also raised ongoing debates among legal observers about evidentiary thresholds and proportionality in sentencing.

The sentencing in Abuja also comes at a time when Nigeria continues to face fragmented insecurity challenges, including banditry networks that operate across forest corridors connecting Kogi, Niger, Kwara, and parts of the North-West.

Nigeria’s insecurity landscape has evolved significantly over the past decade. According to multiple security tracking reports, banditry-related violence in North-Central Nigeria has expanded since 2018, shifting from localized rural attacks to more organized networks involving logistics, kidnapping economies, and arms trafficking routes.

Kogi State, in particular, has increasingly become a strategic corridor due to its forested terrain and proximity to multiple regional borders, making it a convergence point for armed groups moving between the North-West and the South-West.

Legal experts note that since the passage of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, federal courts have handled a growing number of cases involving non-combatant defendants accused of indirect support roles. This trend reflects an expanded prosecutorial focus on dismantling the “ecosystem” around armed groups rather than only battlefield actors.

The sentencing of Salihu and Abdullahi underscores how Nigeria’s judiciary is becoming a central battleground in the country’s broader security response, particularly as authorities intensify pressure on support structures linked to armed networks.

What remains uncertain is how consistently such convictions will hold under appeal scrutiny and how courts will continue to balance national security priorities with evidentiary safeguards in terrorism-related prosecutions.

As counterinsurgency efforts evolve, the defining challenge will be whether legal enforcement can sustainably disrupt networks without deepening questions around fairness, due process, and proportional justice.