Court Sentences Mother and Sister of Slain Bandit Kingpin to 40 Years Each

In a judgment that has stirred fresh conversations around family ties, complicity and the cost of silence in the fight against terrorism, the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Friday sentenced Safiya Salihu and Halima Abdullahi, the mother and sister of slain bandit kingpin, Kachallah Ibrahim Battujo, to 40 years imprisonment each. What began as a case woven around loyalty to bloodlines ended with the stark authority of law, as Justice Hauwa Yilwa found that the two women crossed the line from familial contact into active support and concealment of terrorism-related activities.

The court held that the convicts transmitted sensitive information to Battujo through telephone conversations, acts which were deemed to have aided and abetted his operations. It further found that they deliberately failed to report critical intelligence about his whereabouts and activities to security agencies, despite having visited his forest camp and observed him in possession of firearms. Delivering judgment, Justice Yilwa ruled that their actions amounted to offences contrary to Section 26 and Section 16 of the Terrorism (Prevention) (Prohibition) Act, 2022.

Defendants Pleaded Guilty to Three of Five Counts

The courtroom atmosphere was described as tense yet orderly as the judge pronounced the sentence after the defendants pleaded guilty to counts 2, 4 and 5 of the five-count charge filed by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation. The court discharged them on counts 1 and 3, which alleged receipt of ₦490,300 believed to be proceeds of terrorism, as well as sponsorship for Hajj pilgrimage allegedly funded by the bandit leader. The Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, had urged the court to strike out the financial charges while insisting that the remaining counts sufficiently established criminal liability, and the application was granted in part.

Failure to disclose material information that could assist law enforcement is itself an offence under the law.

— Justice Hauwa Yilwa, Federal High Court, Abuja

Prosecutors: Convicts "Reasonably Ought to Have Known"

Prosecutors told the court that the convicts reasonably ought to have known the implications of their actions, especially after visiting Battujo's camp and witnessing his possession of firearms, yet failing to alert security agencies as soon as reasonably practicable. Battujo, described by security authorities as a notorious bandit kingpin, was killed on June 10, 2026, by security forces in a forest near Iluke in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State, bringing a violent chapter of criminal operations to an end, but leaving behind legal ripples that continue to unfold in the courts.

Beyond the legal verdict, the case has become a sobering reminder of how terrorism investigations increasingly extend beyond armed operatives to those in their immediate circles - families, couriers and silent enablers. As Safiya Salihu and Halima Abdullahi begin their 40-year sentences, the ruling sends a firm judicial message: in the eyes of the law, silence can be as consequential as speech when it shields terror. In Abuja, the gavel has fallen, but the debate it has ignited - about loyalty, responsibility and the boundaries of family in the shadow of extremism - appears far from over.