Court Orders Release of Boko Haram Victim After 10 Years

On Thursday, Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the immediate release of Ali Kolo, who had been detained for a decade. Kolo was sentenced to nine years in prison in 2017 for failing to disclose information about Boko Haram activities to security agencies, which was a violation of the Terrorism Prevention Prohibition Act of 2013.

During the proceedings, prosecuting counsel David Kasw presented evidence against Kolo, who had pleaded guilty to a single charge related to concealing information about terrorist activities. However, Kolo argued that he was unable to report the insurgents due to circumstances beyond his control, as he had been shot in the leg during an attack.

Justice Lifu acknowledged that Kolo had already served ten years in custody, which amounted to double jeopardy, and ruled that his continued detention was unjust. The court emphasized that Kolo was not convicted of being a member of a terrorist group but only for failing to report.