The Department of State Services (DSS) has recorded a significant milestone in its counter-terrorism operations after securing the conviction of dozens of suspects in terrorism-related cases across different parts of Nigeria.
Court records indicate that 12 convicted terrorists were sentenced to death by hanging, while several others received prison terms ranging from a few years to life imprisonment for various offences linked to terrorism and violent crimes.
Those sentenced to death were convicted for offences including terrorism, kidnapping, murder, arms trafficking and providing support to terrorist organisations. Among them were four individuals found guilty for their involvement in the 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State. Other death sentences were handed down in separate cases prosecuted in Sokoto, Kogi, Ekiti and Katsina states.
The convictions followed investigations and prosecutions involving alleged members and collaborators of terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). Some of the convicts were also found guilty of terrorism financing, illegal arms trafficking and providing logistical assistance to extremist groups.
In addition to the death sentences, several other defendants received lengthy prison terms after being convicted of terrorism-related offences. While some were sentenced to between 20 and 50 years imprisonment, others were handed life sentences following the court’s findings on their roles in terrorist activities.
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