A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced a woman, Halima Haliru Umar, to 20 years’ imprisonment after she was convicted for unlawful possession of 302 rounds of AK-47 live ammunition and attempting to support the commission of acts of terrorism.
Umar was arraigned on March 11 on a four-count charge filed by the Department of State Services, DSS, following her arrest in Plateau State. She pleaded guilty to counts three and four, which bordered on attempting to render support for acts of terrorism and unlawful possession of ammunition.
Delivering judgment on Friday, Justice Hauwa Yilwa held that the defendant’s guilty plea amounted to an admission of the facts presented by the prosecution.
“The defendant, having admitted the facts of the offence as presented by the prosecution, the court is satisfied. She is accordingly convicted on counts three and four,” the judge held.
Following her conviction, defence counsel, Hamza Dantani, pleaded with the court for leniency, saying Umar was a first-time offender, remorseful, and did not waste the court’s time. He also told the court that she is a nursing mother of a one-year-old child who was arrested with her.
The prosecuting counsel, Dr. Caliatus Eze, informed the court that the prosecution had no record of any previous conviction against the defendant.
After a brief suspension of proceedings, Justice Yilwa sentenced Umar to 20 years’ imprisonment on count three and one year on count four.
The court adjourned the matter till July 9 for the prosecution to commence trial on counts one and two, to which the defendant pleaded not guilty.
The DSS alleged that Umar, on July 7, 2025, at Barkin Ladi and Jos North Local Government Areas of Plateau State, attempted to support the commission of acts of terrorism by providing material assistance and transportation of 302 rounds of AK-47 rifle live ammunition.
The agency also accused her of being in unlawful possession of the ammunition at Jos North Local Government Area, contrary to the Firearms Act.
While reviewing the facts of the case, a DSS operative, Fahad Tahir, told the court that Umar was transferred to the DSS headquarters in Abuja on August 11, 2025, by the Plateau State Command after she was arrested with 302 live rounds of 7.62x39mm ammunition.
Tahir said the items received from the Plateau Command included the ammunition, Umar’s confessional statement in Hausa and English, the statement of the arresting officer, an audio-visual recording of her interview session, the investigation report, and the sum of ₦57,100.
According to him, Umar stated during investigation that one Sani instructed her on July 6, 2025, to travel to Zaria, Kaduna State, to collect a message from someone, and gave her ₦50,000 for travel expenses.
She reportedly said that upon arrival in Zaria, Sani directed her to proceed to Jos, where she met one Alhaji, who handed over a waste bag containing the 302 rounds of live ammunition.
The DSS operative said Umar was later arrested while in possession of the ammunition, adding that her interview was recorded in the presence of an official of the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria.