A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced a middle-aged man, Ali Shaban Hamma, to 10 years’ imprisonment for protecting Boko Haram terrorists in his Borno community. 
   
Hamma, a father of 10 children, was convicted by Justice Binta Nyako yesterday after he pleaded guilty to the terrorism charges brought against him by the federal government.
   
Similarly, Justice Hawa Yilwa of the Federal High Court in Abuja has convicted and sentenced a man, Sunday Frank, to 40 years in prison after he confessed to serving as a spy for an alleged notorious bandit leader in Benue State, Terwase Akwaza, popularly known as Gana.
   
The federal government, in a four-count charge brought before the court, had alleged that Frank, who hails from Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State, monitored and provided information to Gana about the movement of security agents, contrary to sections 21 and 24 of the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act (TPPA) 2022.
   
Meanwhile, Hamma admitted knowing the Boko Haram members in his village and ignorantly refused to report them to the federal troops for arrest and prosecution. 
   
He confessed that he had been associating with the terrorists since they arrived in his village to unleash criminal activities on the people. 
   
In her judgment, Justice Nyako sentenced him to 10 years, to commence from 2012, when the convict was apprehended and kept in custody.
   
The federal government further alleged, among others, that Akwaza also kidnapped one Samuel in 2022 and held him hostage until the sum of N40,000 was paid for his release.
   
Though the defendant denied counts 1, 2 and 3, which related to his alleged involvement in abduction, he pleaded guilty to count 4 on providing information to the Benue bandit leader.
   
After testimonies and cross-examinations, Justice Yilwa found the defendant guilty and sentenced him to 40 years in prison, starting from the day of his arrest.