Adamawa court jails four ‘Shilla boys’ for illegal possession of arms

The Chief Magistrate’s Court 3, sitting in Yola, Adamawa State, has sentenced four ‘Shilla boys’ to two and a half years’ imprisonment each for being in possession of weapons at an odd hour and in suspicious circumstances.

The four are to serve their sentences without the option of a fine.

The court, presided over by Chief Magistrate Uwani Danladi, convicted the defendants on charges of “criminal conspiracy, being in possession of dangerous weapons and ‘shilla’ activities.”

The convicts, Habibu Abubakar, Salihu Mahmud, Idris Muhammed and Auwal Hamidu, all residents of Demsawo Ward in Yola North Local Government Area, were arrested on October 4, 2026, at about 2 am around Mahmud Guest Inn, where they were found in possession of weapons, including a cutlass and scissors.

The details of the case are contained in the First Information Report tendered in court by the police prosecutor, Inspector Danjuma Hamidu, who said the offences contravened Sections 60, 207 and 304 of the Penal Code Law of Adamawa State.

At their arraignment earlier, the convicts pleaded guilty to the offences, after which the prosecutor applied for a summary trial.

The ruling, delivered on Wednesday, came amid several other rulings handed down in recent months against people associated with criminal acts typically committed by young criminals known in Adamawa State as Shilla boys, who operate mostly in the metropolitan local government areas of Yola North, Yola South and Girei.