Boko Haram commander boasts in court that group will take over Nigeria

A terrorism suspect who admitted to being a Boko Haram commander once told a court in Abuja that his group would eventually take over Nigeria, despite being in detention.

The disclosure was made by the Director of Civil Litigation at the Legal Aid Council, Dauda Hassan.

Hassan said the statement was made by the suspect, Babagana Umar, during his summary trial in 2018.

According to Hassan, many terrorism suspects openly admit their crimes and show little or no remorse, largely due to years of ideological indoctrination by extremist leaders.

Recounting Umar’s case, Hassan said he personally represented the suspect during the trial and tried to determine whether he regretted his actions or understood the seriousness of the offences he had confessed to.

“As his lawyer, I asked him whether he regretted his actions or understood the gravity of the offence,” Hassan said. “Because he didn’t understand English, the questions were translated into Kanuri.”

Hassan said Umar rejected any attempt to portray him as innocent, insisting that he took full responsibility for his actions.

“He said he didn’t ask his lawyer to defend him that way. He said he was responsible for what he did and that if given the chance, he would return to Sambisa Forest to continue the fight,” Hassan recalled.

According to him, Umar further claimed that his detention did not amount to defeat, describing his arrest as “an act of God” and declaring that Boko Haram would eventually leave detention and take over the country.

Following the statements, Umar was sentenced to 50 years’ imprisonment under the provisions of the Terrorism Act.

Hassan also recalled the case of another young Boko Haram suspect who confessed to being a commander and admitted attempting to bomb a school in Gombe State before he was apprehended.

“I asked him if he realised that Muslims like him could be among the students in the school he planned to bomb,” Hassan said. “He replied that if there were Muslims there, they must be infidels.”

Hassan said such responses underscored the depth of radicalisation among some terrorism suspects and the challenges faced in countering violent extremism in Nigeria.