Kebbi High Court jails three women for aiding bandits
Kebbi State Court Sentences Three Women to 14 Years for Conspiracy Linked to Armed Bandits
Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State – A Kebbi State High Court has sentenced three women to 14 years in prison each for their involvement in criminal conspiracy and supporting a group of armed bandits.
The court’s decision was made following a trial centered on allegations that the women provided food, beverages, and other supplies to bandits operating in the Shanga Local Government Area.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Hassan Shehu Kuwwa stated that the prosecution successfully proved its case against the three defendants: Jamila Sule, Ramatu Habibu, and Zara’u Abdulkarim. However, the court acquitted the first defendant, Aisha Abubakar, due to insufficient evidence.
The women were convicted under the Kebbi State Penal Code Law of 2021 for their roles in facilitating the activities of armed bandits. Prosecutors indicated that the crimes occurred on December 14, 2023, in the Sabon Gari Hills Forest, where the defendants allegedly supplied the bandits with items such as Indian hemp, foodstuffs, and soft drinks.
The court admitted the defendants’ statements, recorded in English and translated into Hausa, as part of the evidence during the proceedings. In concluding the judgment, Justice Kuwwa emphasized the lack of evidence against Abubakar, resulting in her acquittal.
In contrast, the convictions of Sule, Habibu, and Abdulkarim led to their sentencing of 14 years each on all counts.
