Court Jails ISWAP Commander 20 Years for Terror Attacks on Kano Police Formations

The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced Hussaini Ismaila, a commander of the Islamic State West Africa Province, to 20 years in prison for terrorism-related offences.

Justice Emeka Nwite delivered the ruling on Tuesday after Ismaila—also known as Mai Tangaran—changed his plea from not guilty to guilty on four charges brought under the Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Act, 2013. The convicted extremist was accused of coordinating a series of attacks on several police facilities in Kano State in 2012, including the Bompai Police Headquarters, the Mobile Police Base on Kabuga Road, Pharm Centre Police Station, and Angwa Uku Police Station, where multiple people sustained injuries.

Ismaila was arrested on August 31, 2017, in Tsamiyya Babba Village, Gezawa Local Government Area of Kano State. His trial was prolonged by interlocutory appeals and a trial-within-trial held to determine the admissibility of his extra-judicial statements. After the Department of State Services presented five witnesses, including operatives and eyewitnesses, Ismaila opted to change his plea. His lawyer, P. B. Onijah of the Legal Aid Council, appealed for leniency, citing his client’s remorse and cooperation.

Justice Nwite found him guilty on all four counts, imposing 15 years for the first count and 20 years each for counts two, three, and four, all to run concurrently. The sentence is to be calculated from the date of his arrest in 2017. The court further ordered that Ismaila undergo rehabilitation and deradicalisation at the end of his prison term.

In a related development, the trial of two alleged Ansaru leaders, Mahmud Usman and Abubakar Abba, has been adjourned to January 15, 2026. The pair face a 32-count terrorism charge filed by the DSS, including allegations of kidnapping, illegal mining, arms procurement, and terrorism financing between 2015 and 2024. Usman pleaded guilty to one economic-related count but denied the others, while Abba maintained his innocence. The charges claim they bombed the Wawa Military Cantonment in Niger State, trained in weapons and explosives, kidnapped security operatives, and collected ransom payments used to buy arms and train militants in Mali and Sudan.

During Wednesday’s session, defence counsel B. I. Bakum requested that the defendants be moved to a correctional facility to ease access for trial preparation. DSS counsel David Kaswe opposed the request, citing procedural rules. Justice Nwite then adjourned the matter, directing the defence to follow the proper process for gaining access to their clients.