Boko Haram spokesperson pleads guilty.

Ali Konduga faces a possible maximum prison sentence of nine years when his sentence is read on December 6.

After two years of sustained brazen attacks on government and religious facilities in the northern part of the country by the militant Boko Haram sect, the federal government on Tuesday gained its first conviction for the sect’s crimes after the group’s spokesperson pleaded guilty to felony in a magistrate court.

Ali Konduga, known in the media as Usman Al-Zawahiri, was charged alongside Senator Ali Ndume (Borno State) on a two count charge of felony and withholding vital security information from the government.

While Kodunga pleaded guilty, and was convicted under Section 398 of the penal code, the lawmaker pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The convict had the previous day named the lawmaker as one of the sect’s political sponsors. He alleged that Ndume took over the running of the sect after his initial sponsor, Nigeria’s former ambassador to Sao Tome and Principe, Sa’idu Pindar, died in a motor accident while couriering a part payment of N5 million to the sect.

Konduga claimed that the late Pindar encouraged them to send the threat test messages to some other politicians including former President Olusegun Obasanjo. He also alleged that Ndume also provided other telephone numbers to which they sent threat messages.

Following the allegations made on the senator, Chief Magistrate Oyebola Oyewumi deferred Konduga’s sentencing to December 6, and ruled that the accused persons be remanded in SSS custody.

Felony in Nigeria attracts a maximum prison sentence of nine years term or a fine fixed by the judge. It is however unclear at the moment whether the security authorities would file fresh charges in accordance with the anti terrorism law which was enacted by the National Assembly earlier this year.