Terror Trail Ends in Court as Arms Courier Gets Death Sentence

A Federal High Court sitting in Katsina State has sentenced a female arms courier, Hauwa’u Mukhtar, to death by hanging after finding her guilty of conspiracy to commit, aid and abet terrorism.

The conviction marks the second death sentence secured by the Department of State Services (DSS) this month in terrorism-related cases.
Mukhtar was arrested by DSS operatives on September 16, 2023, at Jibia Motor Park in Katsina State while allegedly attempting to transport 438 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition to one Ado, identified by security sources as a notorious bandit kingpin operating in the Dunburum Forest area of Zamfara State.
According to security sources, the DSS arraigned the suspect on a two-count charge before High Court No. 3 in Katsina, presided over by Justice A.B. Bawale.
After reviewing the evidence presented before it, including witness testimonies, exhibits, and the final addresses of both the prosecution and defence counsel, the court ruled that the prosecution had established its case beyond reasonable doubt. Consequently, the defendant was found guilty on both counts.
Justice Bawale subsequently sentenced Mukhtar to death by hanging in line with the provisions of the Penal Code Law of Katsina State, 2021.
A security source described the judgment as a significant achievement for the DSS, noting that it demonstrated the agency’s ability not only to intercept criminal elements but also to secure successful prosecutions resulting in landmark convictions.
The latest judgment comes less than two weeks after a Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced four men arrested by the DSS to death by hanging for their involvement in the June 5, 2022 terrorist attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, which claimed more than 40 lives.
Similarly, about a month ago, a Federal High Court in Abuja convicted and sentenced another female arms courier, Halima Haliru Umar, to 20 years imprisonment for unlawful possession of 302 rounds of AK-47 ammunition and attempting to provide support for acts of terrorism.
That conviction represented the second successful prosecution of a female arms courier secured by the DSS this year.