Abuja — The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced Ali Kolo, a Boko Haram insurgency victim, to nine years in prison for failing to report terrorist activities — a term he has already served after spending more than 10 years in detention.

Justice Peter Lifu convicted Kolo for not informing authorities of insurgent activities, an offence under the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act, 2013. The defendant had pleaded guilty to one of four counts filed by the Federal Government, specifically relating to concealment of information about Boko Haram operations in Borno.

Prosecution counsel David Kaswe told the court that Kolo knowingly withheld critical information from security agencies in 2017. He tendered the defendant’s extra-judicial statement and an investigation report, which were admitted without objection. Kaswe urged a 10-year sentence based on the guilty plea and evidence presented.

However, defence counsel A.O. Usman explained that Kolo was shot in the leg by terrorists while attempting to report their activities and was subsequently hospitalised — circumstances that prevented him from reaching the authorities.

In his judgment, Justice Lifu held that although Kolo failed to report the terrorists, the omission resulted from circumstances beyond his control, including the gunshot injury. The judge imposed a nine-year sentence but ruled that it should run from 2017, when Kolo was arrested. Noting that the defendant had already spent more than the sentence in custody, Justice Lifu ordered his immediate release to seek medical attention.

The judge stressed that Kolo was not convicted of terrorism or Boko Haram membership, but solely for concealment of information. “Continued detention would amount to double jeopardy. The defendant has suffered sufficiently and should be freed upon completion of release formalities,” he said.

In a related case, the court sentenced Ibrahim Buba, a bricklayer, to 10 years’ imprisonment for failing to disclose information on Boko Haram activities. Buba admitted he knew some members of the group but did not report them, stating he fled from Borno to Mubi and later to Onitsha to escape threats. He was arrested in Onitsha in 2023 while working and pleaded guilty to withholding information. The court reduced his sentence from the 20 years sought by the prosecution, ruling that the 10-year term would start from 24 March 2023.

The Federal Government on Tuesday commenced mass trials of suspected terrorism cases.