Female arms courier sentenced to death by hanging in Katsina
DSS
Abdullateef Fowewe
A Federal High Court in Katsina State on Tuesday sentenced 28-year-old Hauwa’u Mukhtar to death by hanging after finding her guilty of conspiracy to commit terrorism and aiding and abetting terrorism.
Mukhtar was arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) on September 16, 2023, at Jibia Motor Park while attempting to transport 438 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition to a suspected bandit leader identified as Ado, who is reported to operate in the Dunburum Forest area of Zamfara State.
The DSS charged Mukhtar before High Court No. 3, Katsina, in Suit No. KTH/65C/2023.
After hearing witness testimony, examining exhibits and final submissions from both the prosecution and defence, Justice A. B. Bawale ruled that the prosecution had established the case beyond reasonable doubt and convicted the defendant on both counts.
In line with the provisions of the Katsina State Penal Code Law, 2021, Justice Bawale sentenced Mukhtar to death by hanging.
A security source described the conviction as a major success for the DSS, saying it demonstrates the agency’s resolve to intercept criminal activity and secure successful prosecutions in terrorism-related cases.
The ruling follows a separate conviction last month in Abuja, where another woman, Halima Haliru Umar, was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment for unlawful possession of 302 rounds of AK-47 ammunition and for attempting to provide material support for terrorism.
