A Kuwaiti appellate court has upheld seven-year prison sentences for two Nigerian nationals convicted over an armed robbery at a money exchange office in Mahboula, with the court also ordering their deportation after serving their jail terms.
A court in Kuwait has sentenced two Nigerian nationals to seven years’ imprisonment after convicting them of participating in an armed robbery at a money exchange office in Mahboula, located in the country’s southern Ahmadi Governorate.
The judgment was delivered by the Second Chamber of Kuwait’s Court of Appeal, which upheld the convictions of the two men over their roles in the robbery, according to local media reports. The court also ordered that the convicts be deported after completing their prison terms.
Court upholds convictions
According to reports from Kuwait, the robbery occurred at a currency exchange office in Mahboula, where the suspects allegedly stole foreign currencies and cash after threatening employees with what authorities described as a weapon.
The appellate court affirmed the lower court’s findings that the prosecution had established the defendants’ involvement in the crime, leaving the custodial sentences in place.
Case dates back to January 2025 arrest
The convictions follow the arrest of the two Nigerians by Kuwait’s General Department of Criminal Investigation (GDCI) in January 2025.
Investigators alleged that the suspects carefully planned the robbery by monitoring the exchange office before carrying out the attack.
Police said the men fled with approximately 4,600 Kuwaiti dinars (about $15,000 at the time) before they were tracked down and arrested. Authorities also alleged that stolen vehicle registration plates were used during the operation to conceal their identities.
Deportation after prison
In addition to the prison sentences, the Court of Appeal ordered that the two Nigerians be removed from Kuwait after serving their seven-year jail terms, in line with the country’s immigration laws governing foreign nationals convicted of serious criminal offences.
The identities of the convicts were not disclosed in the court reports.
Nigerian authorities yet to comment
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Ministry of Foreign Affairs nor the Nigerian Embassy in Kuwait had issued a public statement regarding the judgment.
Similarly, there has been no official indication that the convicts intend to pursue any further legal appeal against the Court of Appeal’s decision.
Kuwait has strict criminal laws governing violent offences, including armed robbery, with foreign nationals convicted of serious crimes frequently facing deportation after completing their prison sentences.
The case attracted attention in Nigeria after the suspects’ arrest in January 2025, when Kuwaiti authorities announced they had dismantled the robbery operation following an investigation by the General Department of Criminal Investigation.