A former senatorial candidate in Borno State, Babagana Habeeb, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison by a Federal High Court in Abuja for selling petrol to Boko Haram terrorists.
Justice Peter Lifu delivered the judgment on Friday after the defendant admitted to the charge of aiding and abetting terrorism filed by the Federal Government.
Habeeb, a fuel dealer based in Maiduguri, pleaded guilty but claimed the transactions may have been carried out by his attendants.
During the proceedings, he appealed for leniency, citing his family responsibilities and stating he had spent over a decade in detention without contact with his relatives.
However, the prosecution opposed his plea, arguing that the fuel supplied contributed to deadly attacks and displacement of victims.
The government lawyer insisted that such support enabled the terrorists’ operations.
In his ruling, Justice Lifu noted that there was no evidence linking Habeeb directly to Boko Haram membership or weapons training, but upheld that selling fuel to the group was a serious offence.
The court acknowledged that the convict had already spent more than 10 years in custody and ordered that his sentence take effect from the date of his arrest.
The judge further directed that Habeeb be released immediately upon completion of formalities to allow for rehabilitation.