By Saudi Usman
A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced a female arms courier, Halima Haliru Umar, to 20 years imprisonment after she admitted to offences linked to terrorism and unlawful possession of ammunition.
Justice Hauwa Joseph Yilwa delivered the judgment on Friday after Umar pleaded guilty to two counts bordering on terrorism support and illegal possession of 302 rounds of AK-47 live ammunition.
Court proceedings revealed how the Katsina State-born woman became involved in transporting the ammunition across states before she was eventually arrested in Plateau State.
According to a Department of State Services (DSS) operative, Fahad Tahir, investigations showed that Umar was allegedly recruited by a man identified as Sani, who instructed her to travel from Katsina to Zaria in Kaduna State on July 6, 2025, to collect a “message.”
The court heard that Sani gave her N50,000 for transport expenses and later directed her to continue the journey to Jos, Plateau State. On arrival in Jos, she reportedly met another contact identified as “Alhaji,” who handed over a waste bag containing 302 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition.
Investigators said Umar was arrested while attempting to transport the ammunition back from Jos.
Tahir told the court that the suspect was transferred to the DSS headquarters in Abuja on August 11, 2025, alongside the recovered ammunition, her confessional statements, audio-visual interview recordings, and other investigation materials.
The witness further explained that Umar, who could not communicate in English, gave her statement in Hausa, which was later translated.
During sentencing, defence counsel Hamza Dantani appealed for leniency, describing Umar as a first-time offender and a nursing mother caring for a one-year-old child who was arrested with her.
However, Justice Yilwa convicted her on the two counts she admitted and sentenced her to 20 years imprisonment on the terrorism-related offence and one year for illegal possession of ammunition.
The court adjourned further proceedings until July 9 for trial on the remaining two counts, to which Umar pleaded not guilty.
