A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced Halima Haliru Umar to 20 years imprisonment for unlawful possession of 302 rounds of AK-47 live ammunition and attempting to support terrorist activities.

Justice Hauwa Yilwa delivered the judgment on Friday after the defendant pleaded guilty to two counts in a four-count charge filed against her by the Department of State Services (DSS).

Halima, who was arrested in Plateau State, admitted to attempting to transport the ammunition in support of terrorism and unlawfully possessing the ammunition.

In her ruling, Justice Yilwa held that the defendant’s guilty plea amounted to an acceptance of the facts presented by the prosecution without contesting the evidence.

“The defendant, having admitted the facts of the offence as presented by the prosecution, the court is satisfied. She is accordingly convicted on counts three and four,” the judge ruled.

Following the conviction, defence counsel, Hamza Dantani, appealed for leniency, describing the defendant as a first-time offender who showed remorse and cooperated with the proceedings.

He also informed the court that the convict is a nursing mother of a one-year-old child who was arrested alongside her and urged the court to temper justice with mercy.

However, the court sentenced Halima to 20 years imprisonment on the count relating to terrorism support and one year imprisonment for illegal possession of ammunition.

The matter was subsequently adjourned until July 9 for trial on the remaining two counts, which the defendant denied. The charge is marked FHC/ABJ/CR/450/2025.

According to the prosecution, Halima was arrested on July 7, 2025, in Plateau State while transporting 302 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition.

A DSS operative, Fahad Tahir, told the court that the suspect was transferred to the DSS headquarters in Abuja on August 11, 2025, alongside exhibits recovered from her, including the ammunition, investigation reports, a confessional statement and N57,100 cash.

Tahir explained that investigations revealed that a man identified as “Sani” allegedly instructed the defendant to travel to Zaria in Kaduna State before proceeding to Jos, Plateau State, where she reportedly collected a waste bag containing the ammunition from another suspect identified as “Alhaji.”

According to the witness, the defendant admitted during interrogation that she received N50,000 for transportation and was arrested while returning with the ammunition.

The DSS operative further stated that the defendant’s interview session was recorded in the presence of an official of the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria and that her statement, originally given in Hausa, was translated into English because she could not speak English fluently.