The Department of State Services (DSS) plans to appeal two recent court rulings that sentenced three men to prison terms in separate terrorism-related cases, arguing that the penalties do not correspond to the severity of their crimes.
Security sources said the Service has resolved to appeal the decisions of the Federal High Court in Kano and a Katsina State High Court on the grounds that the sentences were inadequate considering the nature of the crimes and the weapons allegedly recovered from the convicts.
In separate terrorism-related cases, the Federal High Court in Kano convicted Jamilu Ibrahim and Rayya Haruna, sentencing Ibrahim to 32 years’ imprisonment and Haruna to 10 years’ imprisonment.
Similarly, an 80-year-old village head of Salihawa in Safana Local Government Area, Audu Adamu Tubali, was jailed for 10 years by a Katsina State High Court.
Security sources said the DSS views the penalties as too light and plans to appeal them at the appellate court.
The Service said the three convicts were arrested in separate operations which recovered large caches of arms and ammunition, allegedly meant for terrorist and bandit groups.
DSS said Ibrahim was arrested while allegedly conveying arms to an alleged bandit kingpin, Karami, who operates in Katsina State.
The prosecution said he was caught with four Rocket Propelled Grenades and 832 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition for AK-47 rifles by DSS operatives.
The Service argued that the weapons recovered were meant to bolster terrorist and bandit networks.
The prison terms were a “slap on the wrist” compared with the seriousness of the offences, a security source said.
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The source told ThisDay that previous judgments in similar cases attracted tougher punishments.
For instance, the source cited the case of Hauwa’u Mukhtar, an alleged female arms courier who was recently sentenced to death by a Federal High Court in Katsina State.
The source said Mukhtar was arrested by DSS operatives at Jibia Motor Park while allegedly trying to convey 438 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition to a suspected bandit leader operating in Dunburum Forest area of Zamfara State.
The source said that if courts deemed the death penalty appropriate in Mukhtar’s case, then similar sanctions should be considered in cases where more sophisticated weapons were allegedly recovered.
The source said: “Where the courts have seen it fit to impose the maximum penalty in cases involving the transportation of arms to bandit and terrorist networks, the DSS believes that similar treatment should be meted on Ibrahim, Haruna and Tubali, more so as the weapons found on them are more lethal than those found on the lady sentenced to death by hanging.”
“The Service believes in fairness to all and will explore all available legal options to ensure that the full weight of the law is made to bear on all who run foul of it without fear or favour,” the source said.
“The proposed appeals are part of a broader effort by the DSS to secure judicial outcomes that will serve as stronger deterrents against arms trafficking and support for terrorist and bandit groups,” another security source said.