Borno Senatoral candidate who secretly supplied fuel to Boko Haram gets 10 years in prison

A former senatorial candidate in Borno State has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for selling petroleum products to members of the Boko Haram terrorist group, but will walk free immediately, having already spent over a decade in detention.

The Federal High Court in Abuja handed down the sentence on Thursday, with Justice Peter Odo Lifu convicting Babagana Habeeb on a single count of aiding and abetting terrorism.

Habeeb, who contested a senatorial seat in Borno State in 2015, is also a fuel dealer based in Maiduguri, the state capital.

Habeeb had admitted guilt when he was first arraigned, confirming that fuel was sold to the terrorists operating in Nigeria's North-East.

He, however, claimed that his fuel attendants may have been responsible for the transactions, distancing himself from direct involvement.

During proceedings, Habeeb knelt in the dock for nearly the entire duration of the trial, close to one hour, and pleaded with Justice Lifu for a lenient sentence.

He told the court he had two wives and six children, and that he had been held in detention for more than 10 years without contact with any member of his family.

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Prosecuting counsel, Mr David Kaswe, opposed the appeal for leniency. He argued that the fuel supplied to the terrorist group had directly enabled their attacks on innocent civilians, resulting in deaths and displacing many others from their homes.

Kaswe pushed for a 20-year sentence, maintaining that without a steady fuel supply, Boko Haram fighters would not have been able to use motorcycles to launch raids on communities and flee into the bush.

Justice Lifu, in his judgment, noted that there was no evidence linking Habeeb to membership of the Boko Haram sect or to any form of weapons training. The sole basis for his conviction was the sale of fuel to the group.

The judge also noted that the prosecution did not challenge Habeeb's claim of spending over 10 years in custody.

He subsequently ruled that the 10-year sentence would begin from the date of Habeeb's arrest, effectively meaning the sentence had already been served.

Justice Lifu ordered Habeeb's immediate release upon the signing of his release warrant and directed that he undergo extensive rehabilitation.

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