The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced a former senatorial candidate from Borno State to 10 years in prison for aiding terrorism by supplying petrol to Boko Haram insurgents. Justice Peter Lifu delivered the judgment on Friday, April 10, 2026, after finding Babagana Habeeb guilty on a one-count charge of aiding and abetting terrorism filed by the Federal Government.

Habeeb, who contested the 2015 senatorial election and operates a fuel station in Maiduguri, admitted in open court that petrol from his business was sold to the terror group. He told the court that his attendants might have handled the transactions. During the proceedings, he knelt in the dock for nearly an hour and pleaded for leniency, saying he has two wives and six children and had not seen or spoken to his family in the over 10 years he spent in detention before trial.

Prosecution counsel David Kaswe opposed the plea for leniency and asked the court to impose 20 years, arguing that logistics support like fuel sales enabled insurgents to carry out motorcycle attacks and escape into the bush. He said such supplies contributed to deaths and displacement of residents. Justice Lifu held that there was no evidence Habeeb was a member of Boko Haram or trained in weapons, and that the sole proven act was the sale of fuel to the group. The judge also noted that the claim of over 10 years in custody was not disputed by the prosecution. He then sentenced Habeeb to 10 years imprisonment.