Justice Hauwa Yilwa of the Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced Halima Haliru Umar to 20 years imprisonment after convicting her for unlawful possession of 302 rounds of AK-47 live ammunition and attempting to support acts of terrorism.
Halima Umar was arraigned on March 11 on a four-count charge filed against her by the Department of State Services (DSS), which arrested her in Plateau State.
During her arraignment, the defendant pleaded guilty to counts three and four of the charge. Following her admission, the prosecution reviewed the facts of the case before the court adjourned for judgment on the counts she admitted to.
Delivering judgment, Justice Yilwa held that the convict voluntarily pleaded guilty and accepted the facts presented by the prosecution without contesting the allegations or presenting evidence in her defence.
Counsel to the defendant, Hamza Dantani, appealed to the court for leniency, describing the convict as a first-time offender who showed remorse for her actions. He also informed the court that she is a nursing mother of a one-year-old child who was arrested alongside her.
The prosecution counsel, Caliistus Eze, confirmed that there was no record of previous conviction against the defendant.
After briefly suspending proceedings, Justice Yilwa returned to deliver her sentence, handing the convict 20 years imprisonment on count three and an additional one-year sentence on count four.
The court subsequently adjourned the matter until July 9, 2026, for continuation of trial on counts one and two, to which the defendant had pleaded not guilty.
