A self confessed Boko Haram member, Abubakar Goni, has been sentenced to 30 years imprisonment by the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Goni of Daira village in Gubi Local Government Area of Yobe State, was jailed by Justice Binta Nyako on Friday following his admission that he knowingly joined the proscribed terrorist group more than 15 years ago.
He was put on trial by the Federal Government on a 5- count charge bordering on membership of Boko Haram group, receiving training on handling of AK-47 assault rifle, launching terror attacks against civilians and looting of other people’s food to feed Boko Haram members.
He was also accused of launching attacks against some communities in Niger Republic before the Department of State Services, DSS, caught up with him in 2016.
When the charges were read to him on Friday, the convict admitted being a member of the Boko Haram but denied other allegations.
Following the confession, Justice Nyako invoked Section 16(1) of the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act, 2013, to impose the 30 years jail term on him.
Earlier, his lawyer, Dauda Hassan, had pleaded with the judge to temper justice with mercy by imposing the minimum sentence on his client for admitting the offence on his own volition and without wasting the time of the court.
Based on the plea, and on account of him being a first time offender, Justice Nyako ordered that the 30 year jail term should commence from 2016, when he was apprehended by the DSS and clamped into detention.
The hudge also ordered that the Federal Ministry of Interior should determine the prison where the convict is to serve the jail term.