Nigerian Court Sentences Fuel Dealer to 10 Years for Aiding Boko Haram

A Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced Babagana Habeeb, a former senatorial candidate from Borno State and fuel dealer based in Maiduguri, to 10 years in prison on Friday for aiding terrorism by supplying petroleum products to Boko Haram insurgents in Nigeria's northeast.

Habeeb, who ran for a Senate seat in the 2015 elections, faced a single count of aiding and abetting terrorism filed by the federal government. During his arraignment as part of a large-scale trial involving hundreds of suspects, he pleaded guilty to selling fuel to the militants but maintained that station attendants may have handled the transactions without his direct knowledge or involvement.

In court, Habeeb knelt in the dock and pleaded for leniency, explaining that he supported two wives and six children and had endured more than a decade in pretrial detention without any contact with his family. Prosecuting counsel David Kaswe opposed the request, arguing that the fuel supplies enabled insurgents to power motorcycles for attacks and escapes into remote areas, contributing to civilian deaths and widespread displacement. Kaswe urged the judge to impose a 20-year term, despite acknowledging Habeeb's...