DSS challenges life sentence for Ansaru commanders

The Department of State Services is set to appeal the life sentences handed down to the two convicted Ansaru terrorist commanders by the Abuja high court, insisting the punishment does not reflect the gravity of their crimes.

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday, July 20, sentenced Mahmud Usman, alias Abu Bara’a, the self-proclaimed Emir of Ansaru, and Abubakar Abba, alias Mahmud al-Nigeri, to life imprisonment after both men pleaded guilty to 32 terrorism-related charges.

However, a senior DSS official told NTA that the Service will seek the maximum penalty, arguing that the convicts were central to the kidnapping of pupils and teachers in Oriire, Oyo State, where abductors allegedly demanded their release in exchange for the victims.

The DSS also maintains that two teachers were beheaded during the ordeal to pressure the government, insisting justice for the victims and their families requires a stiffer punishment than life imprisonment.