Ex-Senatorial Candidate Jailed 10 Years for Selling Petrol To Terrorists

10th April, 2026 | News

A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced a former senatorial candidate in Borno State, Babagana Habeeb, to 10 years imprisonment for supplying petroleum products to members of the Boko Haram insurgent group.

The conviction was delivered by Justice Peter Odo Lifu, who found Habeeb guilty on a one-count charge of aiding and abetting terrorism, filed by the Federal Government.

Habeeb, a fuel dealer based in Maiduguri, had earlier admitted to selling fuel in the North-East, though he suggested that his attendants may have been responsible for supplying the product to the terrorists.

During the proceedings, the defendant pleaded for leniency, telling the court he had been in detention for over 10 years without any contact with his two wives and six children. He made an emotional appeal while kneeling in the dock throughout the trial.

However, prosecution counsel, David Kaswe, opposed the request, arguing that the fuel supplied enabled the insurgents to carry out deadly attacks. He urged the court to impose a 20-year sentence, stressing that such logistical support contributed to loss of lives and displacement of many victims.

In his ruling, Justice Lifu noted that there was no evidence linking Habeeb directly to membership or combat activities within Boko Haram, aside from the sale of fuel. The judge also acknowledged that the defendant’s claim of prolonged detention was not disputed by the prosecution.

Consequently, the court handed down a 10-year prison sentence, ordering that it take effect from the date of his arrest and detention.

The judge further directed that Habeeb be released immediately upon completion of his sentence and after signing the necessary release documents, to allow him undergo rehabilitation.