A former senatorial candidate in Borno State, Babagana Habeeb, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Federal High Court in Abuja for selling petroleum products to members of the Boko Haram.
Delivering judgment, Justice Peter Odo Lifu convicted Habeeb on a one-count charge of aiding and abetting terrorism, filed by the federal government.
Habeeb, who is also a fuel dealer based in Maiduguri, admitted during his trial that fuel from his business was sold to insurgents operating in the North-East. However, he argued that his attendants may have carried out the transactions without his direct involvement.
During proceedings, the defendant pleaded for leniency, telling the court he had been in detention for over a decade without contact with his family. He said he has two wives and six children.
But the prosecution, led by government counsel David Kaswe, opposed the plea, insisting that supplying fuel played a critical role in enabling terrorist operations. He argued that without access to fuel, insurgents would not have been able to carry out attacks and escape using motorcycles.
In his ruling, Justice Lifu noted that there was no evidence linking Habeeb directly to membership of Boko Haram or weapons training. The court held that the charge was strictly based on the supply of fuel to the group.
Taking into account the time already spent in detention, the judge sentenced him to 10 years imprisonment, ordering that the term should begin from the date of his arrest.
The court also directed that Habeeb be released immediately upon completion of his sentence, with a recommendation for rehabilitation.
