Sokoto Judge Orders Death by Hanging for Three in Cross-Border Terror Case

A High Court in Sokoto has convicted and sentenced three men, one of them from Niger ‘Republic’, to death by hanging for their roles in terrorism and the illegal movement of arms across Nigeria’s northern borders.

Justice Muhammad Nuraddeen Bello handed down the sentences on 24 June 2026 after a full trial, finding Yusuf Muhammad, also called Sallau, a Nigerien national, together with Jabbi Alhaji Yalle and Kabiru Muhammad guilty on every count. The court further directed that all money and items recovered from the men be surrendered to the Federal Government.

The three were taken into custody on 13 June 2025 by the Department of State Services Counter-Terrorism Unit following intelligence on their suspected activities. Prosecutors argued that the men helped channel weapons and ammunition into Nigeria, feeding the violent networks responsible for banditry and attacks that have destabilised large parts of the North-West.

The case bothers on the dangerous flow of arms from the Sahel region into Nigeria, where smuggled rifles and ammunition frequently end up in the hands of groups that raid villages, abduct residents for ransom, and clash with security forces.

Only days before the Sokoto ruling, a Federal High Court in Katsina sentenced a woman to death for attempting to deliver hundreds of rounds of ammunition to a known bandit commander. In Abuja, another court imposed death sentences on four men tied to the 2022 church massacre in Owo, Ondo State, that left dozens dead.

The involvement of a foreign national in the Sokoto matter has drawn particular attention. Nigerian security officials have grown increasingly concerned about the regional dimension of arms trafficking, with weapons traced to unstable areas in Niger and beyond. Porous borders, established smuggling routes, and economic desperation in border communities continue to make interception difficult despite repeated military operations and improved surveillance.

Informed observers say that while high-profile convictions like these deliver clear messages of accountability, real progress requires more than courtroom victories.

Sustained pressure depends on better coordination between Nigeria and its neighbours, stronger control of frontier territories, and efforts to reduce the demand for illegal weapons by addressing root causes such as poverty, unemployment, and weak governance in affected states.

The convicts have the right to appeal the death sentences. Under Nigerian law, any eventual execution would need confirmation through the appellate process and final approval at the highest level.