Tuesday, October 27 2026 - High Court of Kaduna has convicted and sentenced a woman, Aisha Abubakar, who was arrested with 500 rounds of live AK-47 ammunition meant for bandits in Katsina, to five years’ imprisonment.
Justice John Ambi, in a judgment delivered on 15th October,
2026, held that Aisha was guilty of unlawful possession of a weapon, contrary
to Section 393 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017.
In the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment, signed by
the judge on October 19, 2026 and made available to newsmen on Monday, October
26, 2026 in Abuja, the judge held that regardless of Aisha’s plea for mercy,
the court cannot ignore the devastating impact of insecurity in the country.
Justice Ambi expressed concern about the harm and havoc that
the 500 rounds of live ammunition would have inflicted on the lives of
Nigerians if the defendant was not apprehended.
In a final written address, dated 15th May, 2026, counsel to
the defendant, Victor Fredrick, raised a lone issue for determination, which is
whether, with the totality of the evidence adduced by the prosecution, it had
been able to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt to warrant the conviction
and sentence of the defendant.
The prosecution’s counsel, Emmanuel Ekpenyong, a private
legal practitioner of the law firm of Fred-Young & Evans LP who prosecuted
the case pursuant to the fiat of the Attorney-General of Kaduna State, filed a
final written address dated 8th June, 2026.
He asked whether the absence of Inspector Abu Sarki at the
trial affected the admissibility of the defendant’s extra-judicial statement
(Exhibit P4).
The lawyer asked whether Aisha’s protest against the
recording of Exhibit P4, having failed to object when the document was tendered
and admitted in evidence, affected the weight to be attached to it.
"Whether the evidence before the court established the
offence of unlawful possession of a weapon against the Defendant beyond
reasonable doubt?
"Whether the court could convict on the basis of the
unchallenged and uncontroverted evidence of the prosecution?” Ekpenyong asked.
Selivering the judgment, Justice Ambi said he took into
account the plea of the defendant in allocutus as well as the submission of
both counsel.
"That said, I hereby sentence the defendant to five
years’ imprisonment for the offence of unlawful possession of weapon contrary
to Section 393 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017,” he ruled.
He ordered that the sentence shall commence from the date of her detention based on the remand order.
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