Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has sentenced Muhammad Sani to 20 years' imprisonment for conspiring to conceal information about a notorious bandit, Danranmi, an act that allegedly enabled the suspect to evade arrest and continue supplying arms and ammunition to kidnappers and bandits operating in and around Niger State.
Justice Emeka Nwite, in a judgment delivered on Monday, 13 July 2026, convicted Sani, a resident of Nabi Village in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, on Counts One and Two of a four-count charge bordering on terrorism-related offences. The judge sentenced him to 20 years' imprisonment without an option of fine on both counts, with the sentence to take effect from his date of arrest, 11 January 2023. He is to serve the term at the Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja.
According to the charge sheet, Sani and Danranmi (now at large) conspired to conceal information that Danranmi was a notorious bandit who supplies arms and ammunition to kidnappers and bandits in and around Niger State, an offence contrary to Section 26(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and punishable under Section 16(1)(b) of the same Act. Count two of the charge alleged that Sani had information that Danranmi was a notorious bandit, which he knew would have been of material assistance in securing his apprehension, but failed to disclose such information to any law enforcement or security officer as soon as reasonably practicable. The remaining two counts detailed a chilling transaction: Sani received ₦580,000 from Danranmi to purchase 150 rounds of ammunition from a supplier known only as "Chairman."
The Department of State Services (DSS), which arrested and prosecuted Sani, told the court that the offences were committed on or about 9 January 2023 in Lafia, Nasarawa State. Prosecutors argued that Sani had reasonable grounds to believe the ammunition would be used to commit offences under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. The DSS said the conviction is part of ongoing efforts by security agencies to prosecute those who enable banditry and terrorism financing by withholding useful intelligence.
The conviction of Muhammad Sani underscores Nigeria's tightening crackdown on informants, financiers, and quiet enablers who keep the banditry economy alive across the country's North-West and North-Central regions. The judgment sends a clear message that withholding information about criminal activities is now a crime with severe consequences. For communities across Shiroro and neighbouring local government areas that have borne the brunt of mass abductions and rural raids, the message from the Abuja courtroom is unambiguous: silence, in the eyes of the law, is now a crime with a two-decade price tag. While Danranmi remains at large, authorities have vowed to intensify efforts to apprehend him and other criminals who continue to threaten the safety and security of Nigerians.
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