Female Arms Courier Caught Transporting 302 AK-47 Rounds To Bandits
Justice Hauwa Yilwa of the Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced a female arms courier, Halima Haliru Umar, to 20 years imprisonment after she pleaded guilty to terrorism-related charges involving the transportation of ammunition allegedly meant for bandits.
The convict was arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services in Plateau State while allegedly transporting 302 live rounds of AK-47 ammunition, according to TVC.
Haliru had pleaded guilty to counts three and four of the four-count terrorism charge filed against her by the DSS.
Delivering judgment, Justice Yilwa said the court took judicial notice of the convict’s plea for mercy but stressed that terrorism-related offences remain grave threats to national peace and security.
“I have taken judicial notice of the defendant’s plea for mercy during her arraignment. However, I have also taken judicial notice of the offence of terrorism, which is a grievous offence that threatens the peaceful coexistence of citizens,” the judge said.
Relying on Sections 5 and 7 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, alongside Section 27 of the Firearms Act, the court sentenced Haliru to 20 years imprisonment on count three and one year imprisonment on count four.
The court ordered that both sentences should run concurrently from the date of her arrest.
Justice Yilwa further directed that, upon completing her prison sentence, the convict be transferred to a rehabilitation facility for deradicalisation before reintegration into society.
The conviction followed earlier proceedings in which a DSS operative, Fahad Tahir, narrated how the accused woman, said to be a housewife from Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State, was arrested on July 6, 2025, with 302 rounds of AK-47 live ammunition and ₦57,100 cash while allegedly transporting the ammunition to bandits operating in Plateau State.
According to the witness, Haliru initially made a statement in Hausa at the DSS Plateau State Command after her arrest, where she allegedly confessed that one “Alhaji Sani” sent her to Zaria, Kaduna State, to procure the ammunition from another individual.
The witness further told the court that the accused was later transferred to the DSS national headquarters in Abuja on August 11, 2025, where she reportedly made another confessional statement in the presence of a lawyer from the Legal Aid Council.
During the trial, DSS counsel, Dr. Callistus Samson Ezeh, tendered the 302 live rounds of ammunition, the ₦57,100 cash recovered from the defendant and her statements as exhibits before the court. The exhibits were admitted without objection from defence counsel, Hamza Dantani.
In open court during earlier proceedings, the accused was shown the ammunition and cash exhibits and admitted that she was arrested with them.
The terrorism charges filed against Haliru included allegations that she concealed information about suspected gunrunners and kidnappers, rendered support for terrorism through transportation of ammunition and unlawfully possessed AK-47 live rounds contrary to provisions of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and the Firearms Act.
