Court Sentences Two Borno Farmers to 11 Years in Prison Over Boko Haram-Related Offences

The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced two farmers from Borno State, Manle Modu and Bulama Modu Awaye, to 11 years in prison each over terrorism-related offences linked to Boko Haram. The sentences were handed down by Justice Binta Fatima Nyako after both men pleaded guilty to specific charges brought against them by the Department of State Services (DSS) on behalf of the Federal Government.

The two men were among 48 suspects listed for prosecution before Justice Nyako during the Federal Government’s ongoing mass trial of alleged terrorists. Their cases involved offences relating to their knowledge of Boko Haram’s presence and activities in their communities.

Manle Modu, a resident of Burari village in Mafa Local Government Area of Borno State, admitted that he failed to report Boko Haram members operating in his village to federal authorities. He pleaded guilty to an offence under Section 8(1)(b) of the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act, 2013.

During the proceedings, Modu reportedly argued that informing security agencies about the terrorists could have put his life at risk. However, the judge rejected the explanation as a legal justification for failing to report the group’s activities. She said a report to the appropriate authorities could have helped efforts to curb the terrorists’ operations.

Justice Nyako sentenced Modu to 11 calendar years in prison but ordered that the sentence run from 2016, the year he was arrested and detained.

The second convict, Bulama Modu Awaye, is from Maitari village in Bama Local Government Area of Borno State. The charges against him included membership of Boko Haram, rearing cattle for the group and failing to report the presence of its members to the Federal Government. He pleaded guilty to being aware of the group’s presence in his community and failing to report it.

Awaye told the court that Boko Haram members entered his village in 2014 and forcibly became part of the community. He said he did not report them because he feared he would be killed. The court sentenced him to 11 calendar years in prison, with the Federal Ministry of Interior to determine the facility where he would serve the term.

Considering that Awaye had been in detention since 2016 and was a first-time offender, Justice Nyako ordered that his sentence also commence from the date of his arrest by the DSS. The ruling brings the two cases to a close, although the wider mass trial involving other suspects is continuing.