The Department of State Services (DSS) is set to appeal the life imprisonment imposed on two convicted Ansaru terrorist commanders.
The Service argued that the punishment did not adequately reflect the severity of their offences.
Security analyst Zagazola Makama disclosed this in a post on X on Monday, stating that the DSS would seek a harsher penalty for the convicts following their sentencing by the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Justice Emeka Nwite had sentenced Abubakar Abba, also known as Abu Bara’a, and Mahmud Usman, alias Isah Adam or Mahmud, to life imprisonment after they pleaded guilty to a 32-count charge bordering on terrorism and related offences filed by the Federal Government through the DSS.
The court imposed life sentences on two counts and handed down 20-year prison terms on the remaining charges, with all sentences taking effect from the date of their arrest.
The convicts were prosecuted for offences including terrorism, terrorism financing, kidnapping for ransom, illegal mining, the manufacture of improvised explosive devices and the coordination of terrorist sleeper cells linked to extremist networks operating across the Sahel and Maghreb regions.
According to Makama, the DSS believes the punishment is insufficient, particularly in view of allegations linking the convicts to the abduction of pupils and teachers in Oriire, Oyo State.
The agency maintains that the circumstances surrounding the case warrant a stiffer sentence and is preparing to challenge the judgment at the Court of Appeal.
