Kabiru Umar, also known as Kabiru Sokoto, who was convicted over the 2011 Christmas Day bombing linked to Boko Haram, has earned a Biology degree while serving his prison sentence, his lawyers said in one of the documents shared with PREMIUM TIMES.

In a press statement announcing Mr Sokoto’s appeal against his 2013 conviction, his legal team said he remained committed to “personal growth and rehabilitation” during incarceration, noting that he successfully obtained a Biology degree from the National Open University of Nigeria.

The statement, dated 14 May and signed by Lagos-based law firm Don Akaegbu & Company, described the achievement as evidence of Mr Sokoto’s “continued effort toward self-improvement despite the circumstances.”

Kabiru Sokoto was convicted by the Federal High Court in Abuja on 20 December 2013.

However, his lawyers argued that the charges against him did not specifically accuse him of carrying out or masterminding the bombing of St. Theresa’s Catholic Church in Madalla, Niger State, which killed about 35 worshippers and injured several others on Christmas Day in 2011.

According to the lawyers, the relevant charge alleged that Mr Sokoto had prior information about the attack and failed to disclose it to security agencies. They said the distinction between direct participation and alleged prior knowledge forms a key issue in the appeal now before the Court of Appeal.

The appeal, filed after what the lawyers described as delays caused by circumstances beyond Mr Sokoto’s control, challenges the admissibility and credibility of the evidence used to secure his conviction. Among these challenges, they said, include deaths of his two previous lawyers, repeated custodial transfers and his family’s severe “financial constraints.”

The legal team also questioned whether the trial court properly evaluated the defence presented during the proceedings.

The lawyers urged the public to allow the judicial process to run its course, insisting that criminal responsibility should be determined strictly on the basis of evidence presented in court rather than public perception.

READ ALSO: Boko Haram convict Kabiru Sokoto appeals 2013 life sentence for Catholic church bombing near Abuja

Kabiru Sokoto was initially arrested on 14 January 2012 at the Borno State Governor’s Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja, alongside a serving military officer. He was then taken to Abaji (also in Abuja) by police officers investigating the case to search a house believed to be owned by him.

He escaped from police custody, leading to the suspension and house arrest of Zakari Biu, then-head of the Zone 7 Police Command in Abuja, overseeing Boko Haram investigations at the Criminal Investigation Department. Before the incident, Mr Biu supervised the team that lost Mr Sokoto and was detained at an undisclosed location, alongside other junior police officers involved in the case.

The escape also prompted then-President Goodluck Jonathan to issue a 24-hour ultimatum to the then-Inspector General of Police (IGP) Hafiz Ringim, to produce the Boko Haram suspect. Mr Ringim failed to do so and was later retired.

The State Security Services (SSS) said Kabiru Sokoto was re-arrested in February 2012, following what it described as a gunfight between its operatives and members of his gang in Taraba Satet.

He was subsequently sentenced by the Federal High Court in Abuja on 20 December 2013. The suspected terror kingpin was sentenced on two terrorism charges, including one punishable with life imprisonment under Section 15(2) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Act 2004. The second charge attracted 10 years’ imprisonment under Section 7(1) under Terrorism Act, 2011.

The Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE) has warned the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) against excessive monetary tightening ahead of the 305th meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC).

The group cautioned that higher interest rates could weaken economic growth, private-sector investment, industrial productivity, and employment.

The warning came in a statement signed by the Chief Executive Officer of CPPE, Muda Yusuf, on Sunday.

At the February MPC meeting, the committee reduced the borrowing rate by 50 basis points to 26.5 per cent, and scheduled the 305th meeting for 19 and 20 May.

CPPE said expectations ahead of the MPC meeting should be viewed in the context of growing domestic macroeconomic pressures, geopolitical tensions, and rising fiscal liquidity risks.

According to the think tank, escalating geopolitical tensions involving the United States, Israel, and Iran have already triggered volatility in the global energy market, with implications for inflation, energy costs, and business operations in Nigeria.

“Of immediate significance are the escalating geopolitical tensions involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, which have triggered renewed volatility in the global energy market.

“The resulting surge in crude oil prices is already transmitting into higher domestic energy costs, with significant implications for inflationary pressures, production costs, transportation, logistics, and overall business operating conditions within the economy,” CPPE said.

Concerns

CPPE also raised concerns over increasing liquidity injections linked to political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections, warning that rising political spending and improved Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) disbursements to states could worsen inflationary pressures.

“At the domestic level, early signs of election-related liquidity injections ahead of the 2027 electoral cycle are also becoming increasingly evident.

“Rising political spending by aspirants and political parties, increased election-related expenditures, and substantially improved Federation Account Allocation Committee [FAAC] disbursements to subnational governments present material risks to liquidity management and inflation containment,” the group stated.

It said recent engagement by the CBN with state governments on inflationary risks associated with fiscal injections reflects growing official concerns over excess liquidity in the economy.

CPPE noted that the MPC may therefore adopt a cautious tightening stance or maintain its current restrictive monetary policy position to manage inflation expectations and sustain investor confidence.

“Accordingly, there is a strong possibility that the Committee may be inclined towards a cautious tightening bias or a prolonged retention of the current tight monetary stance in order to contain inflation expectations, reinforce policy credibility and sustain investor confidence,” CPPE said

Warning

The CPPE warned that additional monetary tightening could significantly hurt the productive sector and undermine economic recovery.

“The Nigerian economy remains fragile and structurally constrained. Further tightening of monetary conditions could significantly weaken credit expansion, dampen investment appetite, and undermine the fragile momentum of the real-sector recovery.

“Excessively elevated interest rates also heighten the risks of loan defaults, weaken the financial sustainability of businesses, and exacerbate sovereign debt service pressures,” it said.

The think tank argued that Nigeria’s inflation challenge remains largely structural and supply-side driven, making aggressive monetary tightening less effective in addressing the root causes of inflation.

“It is equally important to recognise that the current inflationary pressures are predominantly cost-push and supply-side driven. The major inflation drivers remain energy costs, transportation expenses, logistics bottlenecks, and structural inefficiencies within the production environment.

“Monetary tightening is generally more effective in addressing demand-pull inflation arising from heightened aggregate demand and liquidity expansion. Its effectiveness in addressing supply-side inflation shocks is considerably more limited,” the group explained.

According to CPPE, further tightening under current economic conditions could raise the cost of capital, weaken manufacturing competitiveness, suppress SME growth, constrain household consumption, and slow investment expansion.

“Further tightening under prevailing conditions, therefore, risks imposing disproportionate costs on the productive sector without necessarily delivering commensurate gains in inflation moderation.

“Higher interest rates would increase the cost of capital, weaken manufacturing competitiveness, suppress SME growth, constrain household consumption, and slow investment expansion at a time when the economy urgently requires productivity-enhancing investments and job creation,” CPPE stated.

Advocacy

The think tank called for a balanced, carefully calibrated monetary policy framework that supports growth while maintaining macroeconomic stability and controlling inflation.

“The CPPE therefore advocates a carefully calibrated and balanced monetary policy stance that preserves macroeconomic stability while avoiding excessive tightening capable of undermining economic recovery and private sector resilience.

“The overarching policy priority should be to sustain investor confidence, support productive investments, stimulate output growth, and strengthen the economy’s supply-side capacity while maintaining vigilance on inflation management.”

READ ALSO: CPPE speaks on capital importation surge, raises structural concerns

The statement concluded that Nigeria’s long-term disinflation process would depend more on structural reforms and productivity improvements than on aggressive monetary tightening.

The group urged the monetary authorities to avoid excessive reliance on monetary policy orthodoxy in managing what is fundamentally a structurally-driven inflation environment.

“Sustainable disinflation in Nigeria will depend far more on improvements in productivity, energy security, logistics efficiency, exchange rate stability, domestic petroleum refining capacity, and overall supply-side reforms than on aggressive monetary tightening,” CPPE stated.