A Sokoto State High Court has sentenced three men to death by hanging after finding them guilty of terrorism and arms proliferation. The convicts are Yusuf Muhammad, also known as Sallau, a Nigerien national; Jabbi Alhaji Yalle; and Kabiru Muhammad. They were arrested on June 13, 2025, by operatives of the Department of State Services Counter-Terrorism Unit in connection with alleged involvement in cross-border crimes, arms trafficking, and terrorism. Justice Bello delivered the judgment, convicting all three on the charges and ordering the forfeiture of all monetary exhibits recovered from them to the Federal Government.
The ruling is part of a broader wave of terrorism-related convictions tied to DSS operations across Nigeria. Just days before the Sokoto judgment, a Federal High Court in Katsina sentenced Hauwa'u Mukhtar, a female arms courier, to death after her arrest by the DSS for allegedly transporting 438 rounds of ammunition to a bandit kingpin. In Abuja, another Federal High Court handed down death sentences to Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, and Abdulhaleem Idris for their roles in the attack on St Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, which resulted in the deaths of more than 40 worshippers. In Kogi State, Jibrin Halilu was sentenced to death by a High Court in Lokoja after being convicted of conspiracy, kidnapping, and murder in the killing of a hotelier in Obajana. He was also arrested by the DSS prior to prosecution.
The same DSS unit that arrested Yusuf Muhammad, Jabbi Alhaji Yalle, and Kabiru Muhammad has been central to multiple death penalty convictions in different states within days. While the courts have moved swiftly in these cases, the pattern of arrests and identical sentences raises questions about due process and the consistency of evidence standards across jurisdictions. The Federal Government now holds forfeited funds from the Sokoto convicts, though no details were provided on the amount or origin. Other suspects linked to similar charges remain in custody without public trial updates.
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