Sokoto Court Sentences Three To Death Over Terrorism, Arms Charges

A Sokoto State High Court has sentenced three men, including a Nigerien, to death by hanging after convicting them on terrorism and arms proliferation charges.

The convicts were named as Yusuf Muhammad, also known as Sallau; Jabbi Alhaji Yalle; and Kabiru Muhammad. Daily Post, Daily Trust and Channels TV reported that the men were arrested on June 13, 2025, by the Department of State Services’ Counter-Terrorism Unit.

The case was marked SS/45c/2026 and heard before Justice Muhammad Nuraddeen Bello of High Court No. 23 in Sokoto. The court found the three defendants guilty and handed down the death sentence by hanging.

The court also ordered that monetary exhibits recovered from the convicts be forfeited to the Federal Government.

The reports linked the conviction to criminal activity across national borders involving arms trafficking and terrorism. Channels TV said the DSS described the conviction as part of its operations against terrorism and organised criminal networks.

Daily Trust reported that one of the defendants, Yusuf Muhammad, is a Nigerien. The same report listed the other convicts as Jabbi Alhaji Yalle and Kabiru Muhammad.

The ruling adds to recent terrorism-related prosecutions tied to security operations in northern Nigeria, where security agencies have continued to target arms movement and alleged support networks for violent groups.

The judgment came on Wednesday, according to the publication times on the three reports.

Sources: Daily Post, Daily Trust, Channels TV