The Department of State Services (DSS) says it will challenge the life sentences imposed on two senior commanders of the Ansaru terrorist group by a federal high court in Abuja.
Emeka Nwite, presiding judge, sentenced the two men to life imprisonment on Monday after they pleaded guilty to a 32-count terrorism charge.
The convicts are Mahmud Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a/Abbas/Mukhtar, described as the self-styled Emir of Ansaru, and Mahmud al-Nigeri (a.k.a Malam Mamuda), his deputy and chief of staff.
The judge handed down the sentence after the convicts changed their plea from not guilty to guilty and, through their lawyer, appealed for leniency.
A senior DSS official, speaking after the judgement, said the agency considers the punishment inadequate given the gravity of the offences.
According to the official, the two men had initially indicated they would plead guilty but later changed their
