The Department of State Services, DSS, has served notice to appeal the life sentence handed down by a Federal High Court in Abuja to two high-ranking commanders of the Ansaru terrorist organisation, insisting that the punishment falls short of the gravity of their crimes.
Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday sentenced Mahmud Usman, alias Abu Bara’a/Abbas/Mukhtar, the self-styled Emir of Ansaru, and Abubakar Abba, alias Mahmud al-Nigeri/Malam Mamuda, to life imprisonment after both defendants pleaded guilty to a 32-count charge bordering on terrorism.
However, a senior official of the Service told journalists that the agency considers the life sentence “too light” a penalty for the atrocities linked to the convicts and would therefore approach a higher court to seek a stiffer verdict.
The official disclosed that the DSS found the timing of the guilty plea suspicious, noting that the two commanders had initially wavered on their plea until the recent abduction of pupils and teachers in Oriire, Oyo State, was resolved.
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“For the nearly 60 days the kidnappers held on to the pupils and teachers of Oriire, the Ansaru commanders in our custody changed. One of the top conditions the abductors gave was the unconditional release of these same Ansaru commanders in exchange for the Oriire kidnap victims,” the official said.
“From a ‘not guilty’ plea, the two men at the penultimate court session said they were undecided on what plea to take. Justice Nwite even had to hand them an ultimatum to make up their minds on or before Monday’s sitting. After the Oriire rescue, they came to court to plead guilty to all the charges,” he added.
The Service maintained that allowing the terror commanders to escape with life sentences would amount to a denial of justice for the two Oriire teachers who were beheaded by their captors during the abduction ordeal.
“The reason the terrorists beheaded the two Oriire teachers was to put pressure on government to release these two Ansaru commanders. It, therefore, wouldn’t be fair to see two men beheaded and their families made to live with the losses without adequately bringing the culprits to book,” the official declared.
The DSS is expected to formally file its notice of appeal at the Court of Appeal in the coming days, as it pushes for the maximum penalty against the duo, whose network has been linked to a string of high-profile attacks, abductions and killings across Nigeria.
Crediblenewsng.com
