The Federal High Court, Abuja Division, on Thursday sentenced three terrorists to death by hanging over terrorism offences.

The three terrorists were convicted and sentenced to death after they pleaded guilty to the offence for which the federal government charged them in the ongoing Abuja mass trial.

While Danladi Lawal was sentenced to death by Justice James Omotosho, Abdullahi Mohammed and Mohammed Gulama Shaibu were handed down a capital punishment by Justice Salim Ibrahim.

When the case was called before Justice Omotosho, 33-year-old Lawal, a.k.a Dankawu, pleaded guilty to counts one, two, three, four and five after the charge was read to him.

The judge sentenced the convict to 30 years’ imprisonment in count one, 15 years in count two, life imprisonment in count three, death by hanging in count four and a life imprisonment in count five.

“May God have mercy on you,” Justice Omotosho said.

In the charge marked: FHC/KNJ/CR/956/2026, the federal government, through the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, preferred a five-count charge against Mr Lawal.

In count four that attracted a death penalty, the convict, who is from Maikaho village, Jibya Local Government Area of Katsina State and others now at large, were said to have sometime in 2020, while in Maikaho village, committed the offence.

They were said to have unlawfully abducted and detained an elderly man for four days in a bush hideout at Ilela and demanded the sum of N950, 000.00 as ransom from his family, thereby intimidating the public and causing serious fear and insecurity in the community.

The offence is contrary to Section 1 (2) of the Terrorism (Prevention Amendment) Act 2013 and punishable under the same Section of the Act.

In count five, which attracted a life imprisonment, Mr Lawal was said to have knowingly received the sum of N450,000.00, being part of the ransom proceeds obtained from the kidnapping of an elderly man.

The offence is contrary to Section 13 of the Terrorism (Prevention Amendment) Act 2013 and punishable under the same Section of the Act.

Also, Justice Ibrahim separately sentenced Abdullahi Mohammed and Mohammed Gulama Shaibu to death by hanging after they pleaded guilty to the charges filed against them.

In the charge marked: FHC/KNJ/CR/245/2026, Mr Mohammed pleaded guilty to the one-count charge, while Mr Shaibu, in the charge marked: FHC/KNJ/CR/329/2026, pleaded guilty to a two-count charge.

The judge sentenced Mr Shaibu to death in count one and life imprisonment in count two.

Justice Ibrahim equally sentenced Mohammed Sherife, in charge number FHC/KNJ/CR/1248/2026, to life imprisonment in counts two, six, and eight of the 10-count charge earlier preferred against him by the federal government, after he pleaded guilty.

In a related development, Justice Omotosho also sentenced Shamsudeen Muhammad Ibrahim, a.k.a Abu Harira, to a life imprisonment in count one and a 35-year jail term in count two, which shall run from today, June 18.

In count one, Ibrahim of Angwar Hayin Ikara Maje, Ikara LGA, Kaduna State, sometime in the year 2022, in Kubwa FCDA Owner Occupiers, did commit the offence.

He was said to have “knowingly rendered support to ISWAP by receiving training and sermons from A. Mujahid from Al-Qaeda on promoting and sympathising with terrorist activities.”

The offence is contrary to Section 15(a) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition Act, 2022, and punishable under the same section of the Act.

In count two, the convict was accused of having “an information about the activities of the ISWAP/ANSARU terrorist group and failed to disclose such information to any law enforcement or security officer as soon as reasonably practicable.”

The offence is contrary to Section 16 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition Act, 2022, and punishable under the same section of the Act.

Justice Emeka Nwite, in another development, sentenced Lawi Abubakar Mohammed to a 20-year jail term in each of counts one and two, to which he pleaded guilty on Thursday.

The judge ordered that the prison term shall commence from the date of arrest and run consecutively, making a total of 40 years’ imprisonment.

The judge ordered that at the end of the prison term, the convict shall be rehabilitated and deradicalised before being released into society.

(NAN)