One of the leaders of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS) for alleged terrorism, Hussaini Ismaila, has been convicted of offences of terrorism and sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment by a Federal High Court in Abuja.

Justice Emeka Nwite pronounced the sentence in a judgement delivered on Tuesday after Ismaila, also known as Mai Tangaran, pleaded guilty to a four-count terrorism charge brought against him by the secret police.

The prosecution said Ismaila was the coordinator of the 2012 attacks on the Police Headquarters in Bompai, Kano State; Mobile Police Base, Kabuga Road, Kano State; Pharm Centre Police Station, Kano State; and Angwa Uku Police Station, Kano State, among other locations, in which many were injured.

Shortly after his arrest on 31 August 2017 at Tsamiyya Babba Village, Gezewa LGA, Kano State, Ismaila was arraigned on a four-count charge brought under the Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act, 2013.

The trial suffered delays resulting from appeals and the conduct of a trial-within-a-trial to, among other things, ascertain the voluntariness of the defendant’s extrajudicial statements.

When the trial eventually opened, the prosecution called five witnesses, including two DSS officials and two eyewitnesses to some of the attacks.

Ismaila, who had earlier pleaded not guilty during his arraignment, changed his plea to guilty after the testimony of the fifth prosecution witness.

Subsequently, the defendant’s lawyer, P. B. Onijah from the Legal Aid Council (LAC), pleaded with the court to be lenient with the defendant.

Onijah said Ismaila was remorseful, had changed his plea to avoid wasting the court’s time, and regretted being involved in terrorism.

Justice Nwite, in his judgement, found Ismaila guilty of the offences charged and sentenced him to 15 years in relation to count one and 20 years on counts two, three, and four.

The judge ordered that the sentences run concurrently, while the sentencing shall begin to run from the date of his arrest, on 31 August 2017.

Justice Nwite equally ordered that the Controller-General of the Correctional Service confine the convict at any prison of the Controller-General’s choice for the purpose of serving his sentence.

The judge added that Ismaila must be subjected to both rehabilitation and deradicalization after serving his term before being reintegrated into society.