DSS kicks against life sentence for convicted Ansaru terrorist commanders

The DSS is appealing the life sentences given to convicted Ansaru terrorist commanders Mahmud Usman and Abubakar Abba, demanding the maximum penalty for their crimes.

The Department of State Services (DSS) is preparing to appeal the life sentences handed down to two convicted Ansaru terrorist commanders by the Federal High Court in Abuja, maintaining that the punishment does not fit the severity of their crimes.

The court had on Monday, July 20, sentenced Mahmud Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a—the self-proclaimed Emir of Ansaru—and Abubakar Abba, alias Mahmud al-Nigeri, to life imprisonment. Both men had pleaded guilty to a 32-count charge bordering on terrorism.

However, a senior DSS official confirmed to the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) that the secret police will challenge the verdict to seek the maximum legal penalty against the terror leaders.

According to the security agency, the convicts played central roles in the violent kidnapping of school pupils and teachers in Oriire, Oyo State. During the abduction, the terror network demanded the release of both commanders as a condition to free the hostages.

The DSS further revealed that the abductors beheaded two teachers during the siege to exert pressure on the government, arguing that full justice for the victims and their grieving families demands a harsher sentence than life imprisonment. 

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