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Court sentences Berende, Adewumi to 40 years imprisonment for terrorism

By Bridget Chiedu Onochie, Abuja
25 January 2018   |   4:21 am
Federal High Court, Abuja Division, yesterday, sentenced Abdullahi Mustapha Berende and Saheed Oluremi Adewumi to 40 years imprisonment for committing acts of terrorism.

High Court

Federal High Court, Abuja Division, yesterday, sentenced Abdullahi Mustapha Berende and Saheed Oluremi Adewumi to 40 years imprisonment for committing acts of terrorism.

However, both convicts, Berende and Adewumi are likely to have spent their sentences as the six-count charge for which they were found guilty is running concurrently. Moreso, they have been in detention since 2012.

Justice Ahmed Mohammed, who handed over the sentence in a judgment delivered yesterday held that the confessional statements of both defendants attested to the fact that they indeed committed acts of terrorism.

According to the judge, evidences given by the defendants corroborated those tendered by the prosecution witnesses.

“And after reviewing the evidences of eight prosecution witnesses and those of the defendants, I found Berende guilty on all six-count. I found the second defendant guilty on count 5 and 6,” the trial judge held.

The judge added that “in view of the fact that both defendants have spent five years in custody, the first defendant (Berende) is sentenced to five years on counts one to six while the second defendant (Adewumi ) is sentenced to five years on counts five and six.

“Each count is to run concurrently,” the judge added.

An Iranian militant in cell found both convicts guilty for providing support for acts of terrorism.

According to the court document, Abdullahi Mustapha Berende was trained in Lebanon and Iran in the act of weapon handling, including explosive.

He had recruited Saheed Oluremi Adewumi to gather intelligence about locations frequented by Israelis and Americans before their arrest.

Pleading for mercy on their behalf before sentencing, counsel to the first defendant urged the judge to temper justice with mercy as Berende has no previous crime record.

He stated that the defendant has spent five years in custody.

In the same vein, counsel to the second defendant told the court that Adewumi has no criminal record. He has also spent five years in detention.

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