The Kaduna State High Court has sentenced Aisha Abubakar to five years’ imprisonment for unlawful possession of 500 rounds of live AK-47 ammunition.

Justice John Ambi delivered the judgment on October 15, 2026, finding Abubakar guilty of an offence under Section 393 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017.

A certified true copy of the judgment, signed by the judge on October 19, was made available to journalists in Abuja on Monday, October 26.

The prosecution alleged that the ammunition was intended for delivery to bandits in Katsina State.

According to the court proceedings, Abubakar was arrested by the Kaduna State Police Command on June 23, 2024, along the Zaria-Kaduna Highway while travelling towards Katsina State.

The amended charge alleged that she was found with 500 rounds of live AK-47 ammunition without a licence or lawful authority.

She was arraigned on May 6, 2026, and pleaded not guilty.

During the trial, ASP Abdullahi Ibrahim of the State Criminal Investigation Department’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit testified for the prosecution.

The items tendered as evidence included the 500 rounds of ammunition, a brown piece of clothing in which they were allegedly wrapped, a polythene bag and Abubakar’s extra-judicial statement.

Abubakar testified as the sole defence witness and denied knowing that the ammunition was in her possession.

She told the court that she was travelling to Katsina for a condolence visit when police officers stopped the vehicle and searched passengers and their luggage.

She alleged that officers claimed to have found the ammunition in her bag and assaulted her after she refused to be photographed.

According to her testimony, she maintained that the ammunition did not belong to her and was taken to Kaduna the following day.

During cross-examination, Abubakar said she had provided information contained in her extra-judicial statement after allegedly being beaten. She acknowledged that she had no photograph to substantiate the alleged assault.

The court ultimately found her guilty of unlawful possession of ammunition.

In sentencing Abubakar, Justice Ambi said he had considered the submissions of both the prosecution and defence, as well as the defendant’s plea for mercy.

The judge expressed concern about the potential consequences of the ammunition reaching its alleged destination, particularly amid continuing insecurity in the country.

He subsequently sentenced her to five years’ imprisonment under Section 393 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017.

The court ordered that the sentence should run from the date of her detention under the remand order, meaning the time already spent in custody would count towards the five-year term.

Before sentencing, Abubakar pleaded with the court to be lenient, telling the judge that she had children and was their only parent.

Her lawyer, Victor Fredrick, also urged the court to temper justice with mercy, noting that she had spent more than two years in custody.

However, prosecution counsel Emmanuel Ekpenyong urged the court to impose a sentence that would deter others, citing the prevalence of the offence and the security challenges facing Kaduna State and Nigeria.

The conviction followed a trial in which the prosecution presented its evidence and the defendant denied knowledge of the ammunition recovered during her arrest.