By Odita Sunday
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has urged the Federal Government to review the life sentence imposed on Kabiru Umar, popularly known as Kabiru Sokoto, following the decision of the Court of Appeal, Abuja Judicial Division, to grant him 21 days to commence an appeal against his 2013 conviction over terrorism-related offences linked to the Madalla Catholic Church bombing.
HURIWA, while acknowledging Sokoto’s constitutional right to pursue available judicial remedies, said the development had raised serious public-interest concerns, particularly over the possibility that the appellate process could eventually result in the release of a convicted terrorism offender serving a life sentence.
In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, on Friday, September 4, 2026, the organisation called on the Federal Government, through the appropriate legal authorities, to take every lawful step necessary to protect the interests of the victims of the attack and the wider Nigerian public.
The Court of Appeal granted Sokoto 21 days to file his Notice and Grounds of Appeal against the judgment of the Federal High Court delivered on December 20, 2013.
HURIWA stressed that the appellate court had neither overturned Sokoto’s conviction nor determined that the grounds of his proposed appeal had merit.
However, the rights group questioned why a person serving a life sentence arising from a terrorism-related conviction should be granted another opportunity to challenge the judgment more than a decade after his conviction.
It also demanded safeguards to ensure that the interests of the victims, their families and the Nigerian public remain adequately represented throughout the appellate process.
The organisation further urged the government to clarify its position on the adequacy of the existing sentence should Sokoto’s conviction ultimately be upheld.
The December 2011 bombing of St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger State, on Christmas Day claimed dozens of lives and injured many others, according to HURIWA.
The organisation said the victims were ordinary worshippers who had gathered to celebrate Christmas, stressing that the scale of the tragedy required the Nigerian state to maintain a strong commitment to justice, accountability and the protection of citizens against terrorism.
HURIWA said it was particularly concerned about what it described as the prospect of further legal proceedings that could ultimately lead to the release of a person convicted in connection with terrorism-related offences.
It warned that perceived leniency in the handling of terrorism cases could erode public confidence in Nigeria’s counter-terrorism justice system.
Drawing attention to the subsequent massacre at St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State, in 2022, where scores of worshippers were killed, HURIWA said the incident remained a painful reminder of the consequences of attacks on innocent civilians and places of worship.
HURIWA Clarifies Reference to Vice President
HURIWA also clarified its reference to the circumstances surrounding Sokoto’s arrest, stressing that it was not implicating the current Vice President, Kashim Shettima, in the latest Court of Appeal decision.
The organisation recalled that Sokoto was arrested at the Borno State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja during the period when Kashim Shettima was Governor of Borno State.
HURIWA said the reference was solely intended to provide historical context to the case and categorically stated that it was not accusing the Vice President of any involvement in the latest judicial development.
According to the organisation, the central issue remains the administration of justice and the responsibility of the Nigerian state to ensure that terrorism cases are handled with the seriousness they deserve.
FG Urged to Protect Public Interest
HURIWA called on the Federal Government, the Ministry of Justice and relevant security and judicial institutions to ensure that the appellate proceedings are handled with diligence, transparency and due regard for the victims of the Madalla bombing.
It said that if the prosecution considers the existing life sentence inadequate in view of the gravity of the offences for which Sokoto was convicted, the government should explore all constitutionally and legally available avenues to challenge or seek an appropriate review of the sentence.
The organisation, however, stressed that any such action must be pursued strictly within the framework of Nigerian law and constitutional safeguards.
HURIWA maintained that the reopening of a procedural avenue for appeal must not lead to the victims of the Madalla attack being forgotten.
It said the families of those killed and injured in the attack continued to bear its consequences and urged the justice system to demonstrate that the lives of innocent worshippers mattered.
The organisation also urged the Court of Appeal to give full consideration to all relevant legal and evidentiary issues if the substantive appeal eventually comes before it.
“Justice must be done not only for the convicted person, but also for the victims whose lives were violently taken,” HURIWA said.
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