A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced Hussaini Ismaila, a leader of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), to 20 years in prison for a series of coordinated attacks carried out in Kano State.
Justice Emeka Nwite delivered the judgment after Ismaila—widely known as Mai Tangaran—changed his plea from “not guilty” to “guilty.” His conviction follows years of legal delays, including appeals and a special hearing to determine whether his statements to investigators were given voluntarily.
According to investigators, Ismaila played a key role in planning and executing major attacks in 2012. These included strikes on the Police Headquarters in Bompai, the Mobile Police Base on Kabuga Road, and police stations in Pharm Centre and Angwa Uku. Several people were injured during these incidents.
He was eventually arrested in 2017 in Tsamiyya Babba, a village in Gezewa Local Government Area of Kano, and charged under Nigeria’s Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act.
During the trial, five witnesses—including DSS officers and civilians who lived through the attacks—testified against him. After the final witness took the stand, Ismaila unexpectedly changed his plea and expressed remorse. His lawyer pleaded for leniency, but the court handed down firm sentences: 15 years on the first charge and 20 years each on the remaining three. All will run concurrently, meaning his prison term dates back to his arrest in 2017.
The judge also ordered that Ismaila undergo rehabilitation and deradicalisation before he can return to society.