HURIWA Backs DSS Appeal, Condemns ‘Disturbingly Lenient’ Life Sentence for Convicted Ansaru Terror Chiefs
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) strongly condemns what it considers a disturbingly lenient sentence imposed on two convicted senior commanders of the Ansaru terrorist organisation and wholeheartedly endorses the decision of the Department of State Services (DSS) to challenge the judgment before the Court of Appeal.
The life imprisonment handed to Mahmud Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a, Abbas and Mukhtar, and his deputy, Abubakar Abba, alias Mahmud al-Nigeri (Malam Mamuda), after they pleaded guilty to a 32-count terrorism charge, has raised profound questions about whether the punishment adequately reflects the scale of the atrocities linked to the terrorist network they led.
For HURIWA, this case goes far beyond the fate of two convicted terrorists. It is about justice for thousands of Nigerian families whose lives have been shattered by terrorism. It is about the countless citizens murdered in cold blood, communities devastated by insurgent violence, and brave members of the armed forces and other security agencies who paid the ultimate sacrifice defending the nation.
The position of HURIWA is reinforced by the disclosures made by the DSS that kidnappers who abducted pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State reportedly demanded the release of these same Ansaru commanders as a condition for freeing their victims. According to the service, two teachers were allegedly murdered during the ordeal in an attempt to force the government’s hand.
Equally compelling are the public remarks by former Assistant Director of the Department of State Services, Dennis Amachree, who described the convicted men as senior members of a terrorist organisation allegedly responsible for some of the most barbaric acts committed in Nigeria’s recent history. According to Amachree, the group filmed the killing of a teacher and circulated the footage to terrorise Nigerians. He further alleged that the same terrorist network was responsible for deadly attacks that claimed the lives of senior Nigerian military officers, including generals engaged in the defence of the country.
If these allegations formed part of the factual basis underlying the convictions, they portray crimes of exceptional cruelty and calculated terror directed at both civilians and security personnel. Such acts strike at the very foundation of the Nigerian state and offend every principle of humanity.
HURIWA therefore believes that the appeal announced by the DSS is not only legally justified but morally imperative. The appellate courts now have a solemn responsibility to determine whether the sentence imposed truly reflects the enormity of the offences for which the convicts accepted responsibility and whether it sufficiently serves the objectives of justice, accountability, deterrence and protection of society.
A nation fighting a relentless terrorist insurgency cannot afford to project ambiguity in its response to those found guilty, after due process, of participating in acts designed to spread fear through mass violence and murder. The justice system must send a clear and unmistakable message that terrorism attracts the full consequences prescribed by law.
HURIWA wishes to emphasise that this position is not driven by vengeance but by an unwavering commitment to justice under the Constitution and Nigeria’s anti-terrorism laws. Respect for due process requires that those convicted after a fair trial receive punishments that are proportionate to the gravity of their crimes. Anything less risks diminishing public confidence in the administration of justice and compounds the anguish of victims’ families.
The organisation urges the Court of Appeal to give expedited consideration to the DSS appeal in the overriding public interest. Justice must not only be done; it must be seen to be commensurate with the devastating consequences of terrorism on innocent Nigerians and on the nation’s collective security.
Signed: Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie OnwubikoNational Coordinator
