The High Court of Justice of Kaduna State has convicted and sentenced a woman, Aisha Abubakar, who was arrested with 500 rounds of live AK-47 ammunition meant for bandits in Katsina State, to 5 years imprisonment.
Justice John Ambi, in a judgment delivered on 15th October, 2026, held that Aisha was found guilty of the offence of unlawful possession of weapon, contrary to Section 393 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017.
The certified true copy of the judgment, signed by the judge on October 19, 2026, was made available to newsmen on Monday 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 in which the 500 rounds of live ammunition would have inflicted on the lives of Nigerians if the defendant was not apprehended.
It would be recalled that upon conclusion of trial, the defendant’s counsel, Victor Fredrick, filed a final written address dated 15th May, 2026 and raised a lone issue for determination.
Fredrick asked whether with the totality of the evidence adduced by the prosecution, it had been able to prove its case beyond reasonable doubts to warrant the conviction and sentence of the defendant.
The prosecution’s counsel, Emmanuel Ekpenyong, filed a final written address dated 8th June, 2026.
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, raised four issues for determination.
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 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.
Delivering 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.
The judge, however, ordered that the sentencing shall commence from the date of her detention based on the remand order.
“The time already spent in detention pursuant to the remand order shall be counted in the computation of her sentence,” Justice Ambi declared.
Earlier when the judge asked the defendant if she had any thing to say before the court pronounce its sentence, the convict said: “I am begging the court to forgive me and be lenient on me when passing its sentence.”
According to her, I have children and I am their only parent.
Fredrick, who appeared for Aisha, prayed the court to temper justice with mercy.
Fredrick said the defendant had been in the custodial centre for over two years.
“I therefore urge the court to take that into cognizance,” he said.
On his part, the prosecution counsel, Ekpenyong, reminded the court of the prevalence of the offence in Nigeria and the level of insecurity in the state and the country at large.
He, therefore, sought a just sentence to serve as a deterrent to others.
Kaduna State, in an amended charge marked: KDH/KAD/45C/2025, dated and filed on May 4, 2026, alleged that Aisha on or about the 23rd day of June, 2024, was caught in possession of 500 rounds of live AK-47 ammunition, without licence or lawful authority.
She was said to have committed the offence contrary to Section 393 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017.
The defendant was arraigned on May 6, 2026 and she pleaded not guilty.
The complainant’s counsel, Ekpenyong, applied to open the complainant’s case by calling a lone witness, ASP Abdullahi Ibrahim, of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of SCID.
Ibrahim, who testified as PW1, was consequently cross-examined by the defendant’s lawyer.
The PW1 in the course of his testimony tendered 500 rounds of AK-47 live ammunition, a brown piece of clothing in which the live rounds were contained, a bagco polythene bag in which the ammunition was kept and Aisha’s extra-judicial statement dated 23rd June, 2024.
Aisha, on her part, also testified as sole defence witness (DW1) and denied the knowledge of the exhibits which were alleged to be in her possession.
She said while she was on a condolence visit to Katsina State, the vehicle she was travelling was stopped by the police officers, who began searching and allegedly beating people while also removing their luggages from the car.
The DW1 said the police claimed they found ammunition in her bag and wanted to take her picture.
She alleged that when she refused, the officers slapped her, tied her hands and then beat her.
DW1 said she told the police that the ammunition were not hers, so they took her to a room and locked her and the following day she was brought to Kaduna.
Under cross-examination by Ekpenyong, Aisha said she was born in Dan-Musa Local Government and she was going to Dan-Musa when she was arrested.
Complainant’s counsel applied that a portion of Exhibit P4 (extra-judicial statement) be read to her and then asked how the information in the exhibit was gotten if she did not give it out.
She answered that it was after she was beaten that she gave the information.
Asked if she had any photograph to show that she was beaten, Aisha responded in the negative.
She admitted that she was not the only female passenger in the vehicle but agreed she was the only one arrested.
It would be recalled that Aisha was reported to have, in June 2024 after her arrest, confessed that she was paid N50,000 per trip to deliver the ammunition to bandits in Katsina State.
Aisha, who said to be 25 years old at the time of her arrest, was apprehended by the Kaduna State Police Command along Zaria-Kaduna highway on her way to Katsina State on 23rd June, 2024.
She spoke to newsmen at the Police Command headquarters where she was paraded alongside other suspected criminals on June 27th, 2024.