Judge Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has sentenced Ali Kolo, a victim of the Boko Haram insurgency, to nine years in prison for failing to report terrorist activities after spending more than 10 years in detention.
The defendant told the court that he was a victim of the Boko Haram insurgency when he was shot in the leg in Borno State while trying to report the terrorists to the authorities.
The accused was indicted by the Federal Government on four charges but pleaded guilty to one charge which included concealing information regarding Boko Haram activities in the North West state.
Prosecutor David Kaswe told the court that Kolo failed to disclose terrorist activities to security agencies as required under the Prevention and Prohibition of Terrorism Act 2013.
Kaswe submitted the defendant’s extra-judicial statement and investigation report to the court as evidence.
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Both documents were accepted without objection, indicating that Kolo failed to assist authorities in efforts to curb terrorist activities.
Prosecutors argued that the defendant deliberately concealed important information from security agencies in 2017.
He urged the court to impose a sentence of 10 years in prison based on the defendant’s guilty plea and the evidence presented in court.
Defense lawyer, Mr AO Usman, told the court that Kolo was shot while trying to report the terrorists and was hospitalized and that was what prevented him from conveying the information to the authorities.
In his judgment, Judge Lifu held that although Kolo failed to report the terrorists, that negligence was caused by circumstances beyond his control, including the gunshot wound he suffered.
The judge sentenced him to nine years in prison but ruled that the sentence should begin in 2017 when he was arrested and detained by authorities.
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