Father of 8 Jailed 10 Years for Keeping Quiet About Boko Haram

(High Court. Photo by TheCable)
A father of eight, Malam Mele Modu from Abara village in Bara Local Government Area of Borno State, has been jailed for 10 years.

The Federal High Court in Abuja gave him the sentence on Friday.

Modu was found guilty of refusing to report Boko Haram activities in his community to security agencies.

He admitted that he kept quiet, but said he was afraid the terrorists would kill him.

The court did not accept that reason.

Justice Binta Nyako said the law expects people to speak up, and fear was not a good enough excuse.

Modu was one of 47 suspects on trial.

He faced four charges, including Boko Haram membership and helping the group by harvesting beans on a farm.

He denied three of them and admitted only the charge of not sharing information.

He was arrested in 2016 by the Department of State Services, so his 10 years will count from that year.