Bello El-Rufai, the House of Representatives member for Kaduna North federal constituency, has raised concerns over what he described as inconsistent sentencing of convicted terrorists in Nigeria, urging for a fairer and more uniform justice system.
During a plenary debate on Thursday, El-Rufai referred to the recent conviction of Husseini Ismail, a member of the Ansaru terrorist group, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison by a Federal High Court in Abuja. He contrasted this with the life imprisonment handed to Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the banned IPOB, last week.
“There was a recent conviction of a Boko Haram terrorist, Husseini Ismail, who received 20 years from a high court. Meanwhile, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu was sentenced to life imprisonment just last week,” Bello noted.
He questioned the rationale behind the disparity, saying, “I don’t understand why one terrorist gets 20 years while another receives life. Such inconsistencies create the perception that justice is applied differently, and that can worsen the problem.”
The Kaduna lawmaker warned that unequal sentencing could undermine public confidence in the judicial system and potentially exacerbate Nigeria’s already fragile security situation.
El-Rufai argued that perceived favoritism in the legal system, whether by group or region, must be addressed to maintain trust in the government’s efforts against insecurity.
His comments came shortly after ISWAP commander Hussaini Ismaila was sentenced by a Federal High Court in Abuja on November 19. The court imposed a 20-year jail term after he pleaded guilty and expressed remorse, with the sentence to run concurrently.
