A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced a 55-year-old farmer from Borno State, Ali Mustapha, to 15 years imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to concealing information about the activities of the Boko Haram insurgent group.
The conviction was handed down by Justice Binta Fatimah Nyako following the farmer’s arraignment by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation on charges related to withholding information about the terrorist organisation.
Mustapha, who hails from Katara village in Borno State, admitted to the offence during court proceedings, prompting the judge to convict him based on his guilty plea.
Justice Nyako subsequently sentenced him to 15 years in prison without the option of a fine.
While delivering judgment, the court acknowledged the convict’s explanation that he had no government officials or security personnel within reach to whom he could have reported the activities of the insurgents.
The judge noted that Katara is a remote and isolated community in Borno State, a factor she considered during sentencing.
Despite the conviction, the court ordered that the prison term should take effect from 2013, the year Mustapha was arrested and taken into custody.
The ruling means the years he has already spent in detention will count toward the completion of his sentence.
The case highlights the Nigerian government’s continued prosecution of individuals accused of supporting, aiding, or withholding critical information about Boko Haram, which has waged a violent insurgency across parts of northeastern Nigeria for more than a decade.
Boko Haram’s activities have led to thousands of deaths, mass displacement, and widespread destruction in Borno and other states in the region, prompting sustained military and judicial efforts to combat terrorism and its support networks.
