Hussaini Ismaila, a key commander of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), has been convicted of terrorism and sentenced to 20 years in prison by a Federal High Court in Abuja.
The Department of State Services (DSS) had prosecuted him for multiple terrorist offenses.
Justice Emeka Nwite delivered the judgment after Ismaila, also known as Mai Tangaran, pleaded guilty to a four-count terrorism charge.
The charges included his role as coordinator of attacks on the Police Headquarters in Bompai, the Mobile Police Base on Kabuga Road, Pharm Centre Police Station, and Angwa Uku Police Station in Kano State, among other locations.
These attacks in 2012 left many injured.
Arrested on August 31, 2017, in Tsamiyya Babba Village, Gezewa LGA, Kano State, Ismaila was initially arraigned on a four-count charge under the Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act, 2013.
His trial experienced delays due to appeals and a trial-within-trial to determine the voluntariness of his extra-judicial statements.
During the trial, the prosecution presented five witnesses, including two DSS officials and two eyewitnesses to the attacks.
Originally pleading not guilty, Ismaila changed his plea to guilty after the testimony of the fifth prosecution witness.
His lawyer, P. B. Onijah of the Legal Aid Council (LAC), requested leniency, stating that Ismaila was remorseful and wished to avoid wasting court time.
Justice Nwite sentenced Ismaila to 15 years for the first count and 20 years each for counts two, three, and four, ordering the sentences to run concurrently, effective from his arrest date, August 31, 2017.
The court also instructed the Controller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service to confine Ismaila in any prison of their choice.
The judge further mandated that Ismaila undergo rehabilitation and deradicalization after serving his sentence before being reintegrated into society.
