The Department of State Services (DSS) has rejected the life imprisonment handed to two senior commanders of the Ansaru terrorist group, saying the punishment does not reflect the gravity of their crimes. The agency confirmed it will appeal the judgment, asking the Court of Appeal to impose the death penalty instead.
The Department of State Services has vowed to challenge the life sentences imposed on two convicted Ansaru terrorist commanders, insisting that the punishment is too lenient considering the scale of the offences they committed.
The position follows Monday’s judgment by the Federal High Court in Abuja, where Justice Emeka Nwite sentenced the two men to life imprisonment after they pleaded guilty to multiple terrorism-related charges.
The convicts, Mahmud Usman (also known as Abu Bara’a) and Abubakar Abba (also known as Mahmud al-Nigeri), admitted guilt to a 32-count charge bordering on terrorism, terrorism financing, kidnapping for ransom, illegal mining used to finance terrorism, fabrication of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and other related offences.
Justice Nwite sentenced them to life imprisonment on key terrorism-financing counts and imposed additional prison terms on the remaining counts, with the sentences ordered to run concurrently.
Reacting to the judgment, the DSS said it considers the sentence inadequate and intends to appeal for a stiffer punishment.
According to the agency, the convicted commanders were allegedly among those whose release was demanded by terrorists who abducted pupils and teachers from schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State. The Service also alleged that two teachers were killed during the ordeal, arguing that the severity of the crimes warrants capital punishment.
The DSS maintained that the life sentence fails to adequately reflect the consequences of the offences and said it would immediately proceed to the Court of Appeal.
The agency expressed confidence that a higher court would review the judgment and impose what it described as an appropriate punishment under the law.
While the two Ansaru commanders have now been convicted after pleading guilty, the legal process is not yet over. The DSS’s planned appeal means the case could return to court, where appellate judges will determine whether the life sentences should stand or be varied.