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Nursing Mother Arrested in Plateau With 302 AK-47 Bullets Sentenced to 20 Years in Jail

Published

3 weeks ago

May 15, 2026

Preport

A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced a woman, Halima Haliru Umar, to 20 years imprisonment following her conviction on the offences of unlawful possession of 302 rounds of AK-47 live ammunition and attempt to render support for the commission of acts of terrorism.

The convict had, during her arraignment on March 11, pleaded guilty to two counts contained in a four-count charge brought against her by the Department of State Services (DSS), which arrested her in Plateau State.

The facts of the offences charged in counts three and four, to which she pleaded guilty, were reviewed after her arraignment, following which Justice Hauwa Yilwa adjourned for judgment in relation to the two counts that she admitted.

In her judgment on Friday, Justice Yilwa noted that the convict pleaded guilty to counts three and four on the four-count charge on the day of her arraignment.

The judge added that by her guilty plea, she admitted the facts as presented by the prosecution, without presenting any evidence in her defence.

Justice Yilwa said: “The defendant, having admitted the facts of the offence as presented by the prosecution, the court is satisfied. She is accordingly convicted on counts three and four.”

Following the defendant’s conviction, defence lawyer Hamza Dantani pleaded with the court to be lenient in dispensing judgment against the defendant.

Dantani said the convict is a first-time offender who is remorseful. He added that she did not waste the court’s time in relation to counts three and four.

The defence lawyer told the court that his client is a nursing mother of a one-year-old child who was arrested with her and pleaded with the court to do justice with mercy.

Prosecuting lawyer, Dr. Caliatus Eze, said the prosecution has no record of the convict’s previous conviction.

Justice Yilwa, who suspended proceedings briefly, later returned to pronounce her sentence by sentencing the convict to 20 years on count three and to one year on count four.

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The judge adjourned till July 9 for the prosecution to commence trial in respect of counts one and two on the charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/450/2025, to which the convict pleaded not guilty.

The two counts that the convict admitted are: “That you, Halima Haliru Umar of Unguwan Boka, Faskari LGA, Katsina State, adult, female, sometime on 7th July, 2025, at Barkin Ladi LGA and Jos North LGA of Plateau State, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did attempt to render support for the commission of acts of terrorism by providing material assistance and transportation of three hundred and two (302) rounds of AK-47 rifle live ammunition, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 28 (1) of Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and punishable under Section 13 (1) of Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

“That you, Halima Haliru Umar of Unguwan Boka, Faskari LGA, Katsina State, adult, female, sometime on 7th July, 2025, at Jos North LGA of Plateau State, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did have in your possession three hundred and Two (302) rounds of AK-47 rifle live ammunition, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 8(1) of Firearms Act 2004 and punishable under Section 27 (1) of the same Act.”

While reviewing the facts in relation to the two counts, a DSS operative, Fahad Tahir, gave details of how the defendant was arrested and how she came about the live ammunition.

Tahir told the court that he got to know the convict in the course of investigating the case, adding that she was transferred to the Abuja headquarters of the DSS on August 11, 2025, by its Plateau State Command after she was arrested while in possession of 302 live rounds of 7.6 by 39mm ammunition.

The witness added: “My director instructed me and my team to carry out further investigation.

“We received the defendant with the following items: 302 live rounds of ammunition, her voluntary confessional statement, written in Hausa and English; the statement of the arresting officer, the compact disc containing the audiovisual recording of her interview session, investigation report from the Plateau State Command and the sum of N57,100.

“After receiving the defendant and the items mentioned, we proceeded to conduct further investigation into the case by examining the items earlier mentioned and also interviewing the defendant, which was audio/visually recorded and in the presence of an official of the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria.

“In the course of the interview, she narrated how, on the 6th of July 2025 one Sani instructed her to go to Zaria in Kaduna State to help him collect a message from someone. She said Sani gave her the sum of N50,000 for her travel expenses.

“She stated that, upon her arrival in Zaria, Sani further instructed her to proceed to Jos in Plateau State. On getting to Jos, Sani directed her to one Alhaji, who later handed over a waste bag containing 302 live ammunition.

“She stated that on her way back to Jos, she was arrested while being in possession of the 302 rounds of live ammunition.

“She volunteered her statement in Hausa language and was interpreted by my colleague into English language, since she is an illiterate in the English language.

“At the conclusion of our investigation, we wrote our investigation report and submitted it to the Director,” the witness said.

Related Topics:AK47 Arrested Bullets Jail mother Nursing plateau Sentenced years

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Davido, Burna Boy, Rema, Ayra Starr Fly Nigeria’s Flag on Official FIFA World Cup 2026 Album

Published

2 hours ago

June 6, 2026

Preport

Nigerian music stars Davido, Burna Boy, Rema, Ayra Starr, and rapper Odumodublvck will fly the country’s flag at the 2026 FIFA World Cup as FIFA unveiled the official World Cup soundtrack album.

Despite the Super Eagles’ failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Nigerian artistes are among the headline acts featured on the star-studded 18-track FIFA World Cup 2026 album released ahead of the tournament in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

Their inclusion further highlights the growing global dominance of Afrobeats and Nigeria’s cultural influence on the international entertainment scene.

Grammy-winning singer Burna Boy teams up with Colombian superstar Shakira on the lead anthem titled “Dai Dai,” one of the flagship songs expected to dominate the tournament’s celebrations.

Davido also secured a major spot on the project with “No Place Like Home,” a collaboration featuring international music group Major Lazer and Canadian singer Nelly Furtado.

Rema, one of Africa’s fastest-rising global stars, appears on the song “Goals” alongside BLACKPINK member LISA and Brazilian singer Anitta, while Ayra Starr joins American rapper Latto on the track “Show Me.”

Indigenous Nigerian hip-hop star Odumodublvck also earned recognition on the album through a special collaborative song featuring Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho, Justin Quiles, and Lenny Tavárez.

Beyond the official album, Nigerian artists are also expected to play active roles during the tournament festivities.

Reports indicate that Rema will perform during the opening ceremony events, while Davido is scheduled to appear at the FIFA World Cup countdown concert at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

The strong Nigerian representation on the FIFA World Cup soundtrack comes as another major boost for Afrobeats, which has continued to gain worldwide acceptance through collaborations with international stars and appearances on major global platforms.

Although Nigeria’s national football team will miss out on the expanded 2026 FIFA World Cup, the country’s music industry will still enjoy a prominent spotlight on football’s biggest stage.

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Human trafficking: Security operatives rescue two pregnant women, nursing mother, seven minors in Plateau

Published

4 hours ago

June 6, 2026

Preport

Security operatives on Thursday, successfully rescued two pregnant women, one nursing mother and eight children from suspected human traffickers at a motor park in Zawan Junction located in Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State.

The victims were allegedly being trafficked illegally to work in mining camps in Ibadan, Oyo State.

Special Adviser to Governor Caleb Mutfwang on Gender and Chairperson of the Plateau State Gender and Equal Opportunities Commission, Olivia Dazyam, who confirmed the incident while briefing journalists at the Commission’s headquarters in Jos, said three of the suspects were also arrested during the operation which she led after getting credible information on the operations of a human trafficking syndicate at the illegal motor park.

Dazyam said the rescue operation further exposed what she described as a decade-long trafficking operation that had quietly consumed the futures of scores of Plateau children and young women.

She stated that the Commission acted on a tip-off from a Zawan community member regarding an illegal park that operated only on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

“A member of the Zawan community drew our attention to what, according to him, looked like an illegal motor park.

“He wanted to find out if we knew about the existence of that park, and he gave me the information that the park operates only on Thursdays and Tuesdays.

“He said that on Thursdays, the syndicate would convey passengers to a location in Ibadan and on Tuesdays, they would bring back some people into that park, and drop them there,” she said.

Dazyam said during a discreet investigation carried out by her agency, it was discovered that the victims were usually children with some of them as young as 11 years old who were taken to the mining sites and forced into hard labour.

She explained that she and her team visited the site and found five vehicles loading passengers for what appeared to be a night journey.

“When we got to the illegal park, we discovered persons below 18 years who were about to travel. We were told that there is a mining pond in Ibadan, Oyo State, where the victims are being recruited to go and serve as labourers on those mining camps,” she said.

She said the conditions awaiting the victims amounted to bonded labour as they are made to work six days for their handlers and keep only one day’s earnings for themselves.

“How are you working six days of your life for some people, then only one day is for you? It means that even if you remain in Plateau State, you can actually work for the seven days for yourself, and you will gain something,” she said.

“I understand from what the informant told me that it is a chain of beneficiaries from this. They have to share the money of their labor for other beneficiaries, and this is why it is exploitative.

“All of them were to be transported, they are not the ones to pay the transport fare. It is when they arrive, probably they are able to deliver them in Ibadan in the mining communities before they pay them.

“A parent of the rescued victim got here and said he doesn’t know that two of his children are traveling. He doesn’t know, so what do you know about your children?” Dazyam asked.