The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced Sunday Frank to 40 years’ imprisonment for providing intelligence on the movement of security operatives to the late Benue bandit leader, Terwase Akwaza, popularly known as Gana.
Justice Hawa Yilwa handed down the sentence on Thursday after Frank pleaded guilty to the charge of providing information to the notorious armed group leader.
The court also ordered that the convict undergo rehabilitation and deradicalisation upon completing his prison term.
Frank, who hails from Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State, was accused of monitoring the movements of security personnel and passing the information to Gana across Benue and Taraba states.
The Federal Government, in a four-count charge, also accused him of involvement in kidnapping and other activities linked to banditry.
Specifically, the prosecution alleged that Frank kidnapped a man identified as Samuel in 2022 and held him captive until a ransom of N40,000 was paid for his release.
The charges were brought under the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act, 2022.
However, Frank denied counts one to three, which related to his alleged involvement in abduction, but pleaded guilty to the fourth count concerning the provision of intelligence to Gana.
Following his plea, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, who personally prosecuted the case, applied for the three counts denied by the defendant to be struck out. The court granted the application.
During the proceedings, a prosecution witness, identified only as “AAA” to protect his identity, told the court that he was part of the team that investigated Frank.
The witness said the defendant, who was arrested in 2022, had confessed to being a bandit and an informant to the late Gana.
According to him, Frank admitted providing information about the movements of security operatives to the bandit leader. He also allegedly confessed to participating in banditry and the abduction of two people.
The witness said the confessions were made both orally and in writing.
The prosecution subsequently tendered Frank’s statement as evidence. Defence counsel, Y.Y. Shullai of the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, did not oppose its admission.
Justice Yilwa admitted the statement and marked it as Exhibit A.
The court also admitted as Exhibit B an investigative report prepared by the team that examined the defendant’s activities.
Addressing the court, Fagbemi urged the judge to convict Frank on the count to which he had pleaded guilty, citing his confession and the evidence presented by the prosecution.
The Attorney-General described the offence as serious, warning that providing intelligence on security personnel to armed groups could endanger the lives of security operatives and undermine efforts to combat insecurity.
He told the court that the applicable law prescribed a minimum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, with a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
“I urge my lord to hand down a sentence of not less than 30 years. This is a very serious offence,” Fagbemi said.
He added that the activities of informants could expose security personnel to attacks and have devastating consequences for counterterrorism operations.
The defence counsel said he had no objection to the prosecution’s submissions on sentencing.
After considering the evidence and submissions, Justice Yilwa found Frank guilty on the fourth count and sentenced him to 40 years in prison.
The judge ordered that the sentence take effect from the date of his arrest, meaning the period already spent in detention would count towards the prison term.
The court further directed that Frank be subjected to rehabilitation and deradicalisation after serving his sentence.
Gana, the armed group leader linked to the case, was killed by security operatives in September 2020. He reportedly began his activities as a member of a militia group established to defend communities in Benue State against attacks by suspected herders before becoming associated with banditry.
Frank’s case forms part of the ongoing mass trial of suspects detained over alleged terrorism and related offences in Nigeria.
