Convicted terrorist, Kabiru Umar, popularly known as Kabiru Sokoto, has approached the Court of Appeal in Abuja to challenge his 2013 conviction and life imprisonment sentence over terrorism-related offences.
Fresh court documents showed that Umar is seeking permission to appeal the judgment delivered by Justice A.F.A. Ademola of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on December 20, 2013.
Through his lawyers, Don Akaegbu & Company, the convict filed a motion dated May 13, 2026, asking the appellate court to grant him an extension of time to file his appeal.
He also requested that the notice of appeal already submitted be recognised as properly filed and served despite missing the original deadline.
Kabiru Sokoto was convicted on charges linked to alleged facilitation of terrorist activities and failure to disclose information connected to a terrorist incident.
However, in the new application before the Court of Appeal, Umar insisted that he was wrongly convicted and denied masterminding the 2011 Christmas Day bombing of St. Theresa Catholic Church in Madalla, Niger State.
According to his legal team, the case against him was based on alleged possession of information relating to the bombing and failure to report it to authorities, not direct participation in carrying out the attack.
His lawyers argued that the distinction between involvement in terrorism and alleged prior knowledge of an incident is critical and forms a major part of the appeal.
Umar also blamed his delay in filing the appeal on prolonged imprisonment, repeated transfers between correctional facilities across different states and the deaths of two lawyers previously handling his case.
Court filings revealed that his initial lawyer reportedly began the appeal process before passing away, while another lawyer later engaged by the family also died before making significant progress on the case.
In an affidavit submitted by Umar’s nephew, Lawal Suleiman, the family claimed they only located him in March 2026 at the Kirikiri Maximum Security Custodial Centre in Lagos after years of difficulty tracing his movements between prisons.
The family further alleged that the constant transfers disrupted communication and worsened their financial struggles while trying to pursue legal action.
They also stated that Umar’s health has deteriorated significantly during his years in custody.
The appeal additionally questions the legal basis of his conviction, with his lawyers arguing that the trial court relied on provisions of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Act instead of the Terrorism Prevention Act.
According to the defence team, the EFCC Act primarily addresses financial crimes and should not have been used to secure a terrorism conviction.
Umar’s lawyers also challenged the admissibility of his confessional statement, alleging it was written by an investigating police officer in a question-and-answer format rather than voluntarily made by him.
Despite serving a life sentence, the convict was said to have earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the National Open University of Nigeria while in custody.
He is now asking the Court of Appeal to overturn the judgment of the Federal High Court and acquit him of all charges.
The application has already been served on the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, though no hearing date has been announced yet.
