Court Sentences Bandit Kingpin Battujo’s Mother, Sister To 40 Years In Prison

The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced the mother and sister of late bandit kingpin Kachallah Ibrahim Battujo to 40 years imprisonment each after finding them guilty of terrorism-related offences.

Justice Hauwa Yilwa delivered the judgment on Friday, convicting Safiya Salihu and Halima Abdullahi for aiding the activities of the slain bandit leader and concealing information that could have assisted security agencies in securing his arrest.

The court held that the two women passed information to Battujo through telephone conversations, an act that amounted to aiding and abetting terrorism under the Terrorism (Prevention) (Prohibition) Act, 2022.

Justice Yilwa also found that they deliberately failed to disclose information about Battujo's activities despite having visited his camp in the forest and seeing him in possession of firearms.

According to the court, the defendants knew information that could have been useful to law enforcement authorities but failed to report it as required by law.

The convictions followed the defendants' guilty plea to counts 2, 4 and 5 of a five-count terrorism charge filed by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation.

However, the court discharged both women on counts 1 and 3, which accused them of receiving ₦490,300 from Battujo while allegedly knowing the money was derived from terrorism activities.

They were also cleared of allegations relating to sponsorship for the Hajj pilgrimage.

Prosecutors had argued that the women reasonably ought to have known that the funds used for the pilgrimage were proceeds of terrorism. However, the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), applied for those counts to be struck out while urging the court to convict the defendants on the remaining charges.

In one of the charges, the prosecution alleged that the women aided Battujo by passing information to him through telephone conversations despite knowing he was a notorious bandit leader.

Another charge stated that they concealed information about his activities after visiting his camp and seeing weapons in his possession but failed to alert security agencies.

Battujo, one of the country's most wanted bandit commanders, was killed by security forces on June 10, 2026, during an operation in a forest near Iluke in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State.

The conviction marks one of the most significant terrorism-related prosecutions involving close relatives of a notorious bandit leader and highlights the government's increasing focus on dismantling support networks linked to terrorist and bandit groups.