Mustapha Umar, a self
confessed Boko Haram member
arrested and tried before a Federal
High Court siting in Abuja in
connection with the 26th April, 2012
bombing of SOJ Plaza in Kaduna state
occupied by ThisDay, The Moment
and The Sun Newspapers, was on
November 15, 2013, Friday, found
guilty of the one count charge of
terrorism and sentenced for life.
The convicted terrorist was alleged to
have driven a white Honda Academy car
with registration number AL 306 MKA
with improvised explosives devices into
the premises of SOJ plaza with the
intention to detonate improvised
explosive devices within the premises.
The incident claimed the lives of three
persons and caused several degrees of
injuries on others.
The convict had pleaded not guilty during
his trial but the court placed heavy
reliance on his recorded interview which
he granted to investigators during
interrogations where he claimed to be a
member of the notorious Boko Haram
sect, as well as the testimonies of ten
witnesses comprising of police officers
who participated in the investigation and
were led in evidence during the trial.
The prosecution drew the court's
attention to section 4 (2) of the
Terrorism Act and asked the court to
consider the deaths recorded at the
incident and to pronounce a death
sentence on the accused but the court
declined that invitation and pointed out
that the convict was charged against
section One of the Terrorism Prevention
Act which provides for a life sentence
upon conviction.
The court also found that the convict
demonstrated no remorse for his actions
throughout the trial and observed that
the souls of those whose deaths were
caused by his actions are crying out for
substantial justice noting that no one's
life is more important than that of
others.
Furthermore, the court held that the
convict's reason for attacking ThisDay
newspapers which he said was because
the newspaper was denigrating Prophet
Mohammed was unattainable and noted
that as members of the fourth realm,
nobody should be allowed to muzzle the
press, an objective which the terrorist
act was calculated to achieve.
Pleadings by the defence lawyer for the
court to temper justice with mercy as
the convict is a youth whose family and
aged parents depend on for their
livelihood fell on deaf ears as the court
slammed a life sentence on the convict
with a fine of One Hundred and Fifty
Million Naira. His sentence is to be
served with hard labour.
The court further noted that the state of
mind of the convict with which the
terrorism attack was planned,
coordinated and orchestrated reinforced
its determination to remove him
(Mustapha Umar) from the public for
life.
To the families of the victims of the
terror act, the court awarded the
sum of One Hundred and Fifty Million
Naira, noting that their deaths should
not just go like that. This will be
forwarded to the Committee set up by
the President on the resolution of the
Boko Haram insurgents actions for
payment.
The court presided by Justice Ademola
Adeniyi also praised the Nigeria Police
Force for the expertise and
professionalism demonstrated in the
trial which led to the quality prosecution
of the matter by the team of lawyers led
by Mr. Shuaibu Labaran, a senior state
counsel from Nigeria's Ministry of
Justice.
The case is the first conviction recorded
under the amended Terrorism
Prevention Act of 2011.
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