One Boko Haram Financier Gets 10-year Jail Term; Three Others Set Free

Thursday, 6 November 2014

One Boko Haram Financier Gets 10-year Jail Term; Three Others Set Free

One of the financiers of Boko Haram sentenced to ten years imprisonment with hard labour by a Federal High Court in Lagos.

Though details of the trial are still sketchy as the proceedings were conducted in secret, the Boko Haram financier was one of four suspects arraigned before Justice Saliu Saidu by the Department of State Services (DSS).

The accused persons include Adamu Mohammed, Mohammed Mustapha, Bura Husseni and Mohammed Ibrahim.

The parties involved in the case al refused to talk to journalists so further details could not be gotten about the conviction. However, LEADERSHIP was able to gather from a source who did not want to be named that one of the accused persons was convicted and sentenced to ten years imprisonment for sponsoring the activities of the insurgents while the other three were set free by Justice Saidu.

It was, however, learnt that before the judgement was read, the judge ordered all other lawyers, litigants and journalists out of court, apart from lawyers involved in the matter and the court’s officials.

Justice Ibrahim Buba, of the same court, had previously jailed three members for 25 years each after finding them guilty of belonging to the outlawed group.

The accused persons were arrested in Lagos on March 21 with explosives and other dangerous items while planning to attack the city.

Their trial was conducted in camera pursuant to an application by the prosecuting authority, the Lagos State Government, that there was the need to protect the witnesses in the case.

Source: LEADERSHIP