Female Arms Courier Arrested By DSS Bags 20-Year Jail Term

A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced a woman, Halima Haliru Umar, to 20 years imprisonment following her conviction on the offences of unlawful illegal possession of 302 rounds of AK-47 live ammunition and attempt to render support for the commission of acts of terrorism.

The convict had, during her arraignment on March 11, pleaded guilty to two counts contained in a four-count charge brought against her by the Department of State Services (DSS), which arrested her in Plateau State.

The facts of the offences charged in counts three and four, to which she pleaded guilty, were reviewed after her arraignment, following which Justice Hauwa Yilwa adjourned for judgment in relation to the two counts that she admitted.

In her judgment on Friday, Justice Yilwa noted that the convict pleaded guilty to counts three and four on the four-count charge on the day of her arraignment.

The judge added that by her guilty plea, she admitted the facts as presented by the prosecution, without presenting any evidence in her defence.

Justice Yilwa said: “The defendant, having admitted the facts of the offence as presented by the prosecution, the court is satisfied. She is accordingly convicted on counts three and four.”

Following the defendant’s conviction, defence lawyer, Hamza Dantani pleaded with the court to be lenient in dispensing the judgment against the defendant.

Dantani said the convict is a first time offender, who is remorseful.

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He added that she did not waste the time of the court in relation to counts three and four.

The defence lawyer told the court that his client is a nursing mother of a one year old child that was arrested with her and prayed the court to tamper justice with mercy.

Prosecuting lawyer, Dr. Caliatus Eze, said the prosecution has no record of the convict’s previous conviction.

Justice Yilwa who suspended proceedings briefly, later returned to pronounce her sentence by sentencing the convict to 20 years on count three and to one year on count four.

The judge adjourned till July 9 for the prosecution to commence trial in respect of counts one and two on the charge, marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/450/2025, to which the convict pleaded not guilty.

The two counts that the convict admitted are:

That you, Halima Haliru Umar of Unguwan Boka, Faskari LGA, Katsina State, adult, female, sometime on 7th July, 2025, at Barkin Ladi LGA and Jos North LGA of Plateau State, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did attempt to render support for the commission of acts of terrorism by providing material assistance and transportation of three hundred and two (302) rounds of AK-47 rifle live ammunition, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 28 (1) of Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and punishable under Section 13 (1) of Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

That you, Halima Haliru Umar of Unguwan Boka, Faskari LGA, Katsina State, adult, female, sometime on 7th July, 2025, at Jos North LGA of Plateau State, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did have in your possession three hundred and Two (302) rounds of AK-47 rifle live ammunition, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 8(1) of Firearms Act 2004 and punishable under Section 27 (1) of the same Act.

While reviewing the facts in relation to the two counts, a DSS operative, Fahad Tahir, gave details of how the defendant was arrested and how she came about the live ammunition.

Tahir told the court that he got to know the convict in the course of investigating the case, adding that she was transferred to the Abuja headquarters of the DSS on August 11, 2025 by its Plateau State Command after she was arrested while in possession of 302 live rounds of 7.6 by 39mm ammunition.

The witness added: “My director instructed me and my team to carry out further investigation.

“We received the defendant with the following items: 302 live rounds of ammunition, her voluntary confessional statement, written in Hausa and English; the statement of the arresting officer, the compact disc containing the audio visual recording of her interview session, investigation report from the Plateau State Command and the sum of N57,100.

“After receiving the defendant and the items mentioned, we proceeded to conduct further investigation into the case by examining the items earlier mentioned and also interviewed the defendant, which was audio/visually recorded and in the presence of an official of the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria.

“In the course of the interview, she narrated how, on the 6th of July 2025 one Sani instructed her to go to Zaria in Kaduna State to help him collect a message from someone. She said Sani gave her the sum of N50,000 for her travel expenses.

“She stated that, upon her arrival in Zaria, Sani further instructed her to proceed to Jos in Plateau State. On getting to Jos, Sani directed her to one Alhaji, who later handed over a waste bag containing 302 live ammunition.

“She stated that on her way back to Jos, she was arrested while being in possession of the 302 rounds of live ammunition.

“She volunteered her statement in Hausa language and was interpreted by my colleague into the English language, since she is an illiterate in the English language.

“At the conclusion of our investigation, we wrote our investigation report and submitted it to the Director,” the witness said.