The Abuja Federal High Court has scheduled May 8 for judgment in a terrorism case brought by the Department of State Services (DSS) against Halima Haliru Umar, a Katsina State woman accused of supplying ammunition to bandits.
The case forms part of ongoing security efforts by authorities to curb the supply of weapons and logistical support to criminal networks responsible for banditry and violent attacks across several northern states.
Justice Yilwa Hauwa Joseph set the date on Wednesday following a review of the proceedings, during which the accused admitted guilt to some of the charges.
During the hearing, a Department of State Services operative and first prosecution witness, Fahad Tahir, told the court that the suspect, Halima Haliru Umar, a housewife from Katsina State, was apprehended on July 6, 2025 while transporting 302 rounds of AK-47 rifle ammunition and N57,100 in cash allegedly meant for bandits operating in Plateau State.
Tahir said the defendant made a statement in Hausa at the DSS Plateau State Command, explaining that an individual identified as Alhaji Sani had directed her to travel to Zaria in Kaduna State to obtain the ammunition from another contact.
The witness added that on August 11, 2025 the accused was transferred to the DSS national headquarters in Abuja, where she made another statement in Hausa in the presence of a lawyer from the Legal Aid Council, again acknowledging possession of the ammunition and the cash recovered during the arrest.
Led in evidence by DSS counsel, Dr Callistus Samson Ezeh, the prosecution tendered the 302 rounds of live ammunition, the N57,100 cash and the defendant’s statements as exhibits, which were admitted by the court without objection from defence counsel Hamza Dantani.
After examining the evidence, the court fixed May 8 for judgment on counts three and four, to which the defendant pleaded guilty, while trial will continue on counts one and two where she denied the allegations.
