By Ejire Folakunmi

There Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday sentenced a Boko Haram member, Auwalu Samaila, to death by hanging for his involvement in various terrorist attacks across the Northeast.

Justice James Omotosho convicted and sentenced Samaila after the defendant pleaded guilty to a six-count charge preferred against him by the Federal Government. In his ruling, the judge noted Samaila’s lack of remorse despite the loss of life resulting from his actions.

“It is when somebody is remorseful and seeks forgiveness from God that he can have mercy. The convict before me is not remorseful despite the atrocities and lives that have gone through his hands. May God have mercy on his soul,” the judge stated.

The prosecution, led by Jemila Ade, Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions, revealed that Samaila, a native of Gulak Village in Adamawa State, had been a member of the proscribed group between 2012 and 2017. According to his confessional statement, Samaila received weapons training with AK-47 rifles at the Izza Boko Haram Camp and participated in deadly attacks in Damboa (Borno), and Gombi and Hong (Adamawa), where numerous civilians and military personnel were killed.

Samaila also confessed to transporting female suicide bombers to their target locations, including a bomber named Halima, whom he took to Muna Garage in Maiduguri. He further admitted to participating in operations in Mubi, Chibok, Damaturu, Michika, and Gulak. It was during an operation in Konduga, while fighting military forces, that he sustained the injury that led to the amputation of his left leg.

Justice Omotosho sentenced Samaila to death by hanging for counts four, five, and six. Additionally, the convict was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment for counts one and two, and 30 years for count three.

In separate judgments delivered on the same day, Justice Omotosho sentenced two other Boko Haram members, Shura Abdullahi and Abdulrahman Ari, to life imprisonment after they pleaded guilty. Three others, Aisami Kadi, Umaru Usman, and Abdulrahman Hassan, received jail terms ranging from 20 to 21 years for their involvement in terrorism-related activities.