A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced Hussaini Ismaila, a leader of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), to 20 years imprisonment for terrorism-related offences. The ruling was delivered by Justice Emeka Nwite after Ismaila, also known as Mai Tangaran, changed his plea from not guilty to guilty on four counts filed under the Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Act, 2013 The Punch Daily Trust Vanguard News authorityngr.com.
Ismaila was accused of orchestrating coordinated attacks on police formations in Kano State in 2012, including assaults on the Police Headquarters in Bompai, the Mobile Police Base on Kabuga Road, the Pharm Centre Police Station, and the Angwa Uku Police Station, which left several people injured. He was arrested on August 31, 2017, at Tsamiyya Babba Village in Gezawa Local Government Area of Kano State. His trial had faced multiple delays due to interlocutory appeals and a trial-within-trial to determine the voluntariness of his confessional statements The Punch Daily Trust.
Justice Nwite sentenced him to 15 years on count one and 20 years on counts two, three, and four, with the terms to run concurrently. The court also ordered that Ismaila undergo rehabilitation and deradicalization programs after serving his sentence Daily Trust.
Meanwhile, the trial of suspected members of Ansaru, another extremist group linked to al-Qaeda, is scheduled to begin in January 2026. The defendants face charges of terrorism, kidnapping, and attacks on security forces. Analysts say the proceedings will be closely watched as Nigeria intensifies efforts to prosecute high-profile terrorism cases and strengthen its counterterrorism framework.
