We provide Instant breaking news alerts and information about the day's most talked-about stories around Nigeria, Africa and the world trending news.
Nigerian Student Sentenced to 40 Months for Terrorism Threats in Scotland
Somtochukwu Okwuoha, a 26-year-old Nigerian Master’s student at Dundee University, has been handed a 40-month prison sentence for making terrorism threats against staff and students, according to a BBC report on Friday.
The international energy studies student, who arrived in the United Kingdom in 2021, will also face deportation following the ruling by Peth Sheriff Court.
During the trial, witnesses recounted how Okwuoha, claiming a military background, threatened to unleash bombs and a deadly virus on the city. He asserted having enlisted the support of the terror group ISIS to bomb the university and disclosed plans for a chemical attack on the city.
Sheriff William Wood remarked, “Your presence in the United Kingdom is not conducive to the public good, and I make a recommendation for your deportation in due course.”
Related Posts
The charges against Okwuoha included threats of mass murder, terrorism, planting bombs, and using biological weapons. The court also found him guilty of revealing staff details to international authorities and claiming to have planted bombs.
The prosecution revealed that Okwuoha directed threats towards a fellow female student who had rejected his advances, leading to his suspension from the university course. His focus then shifted to staff, with threats extending to mass murder, terrorism, and attacks using biological weapons.
One witness, Keith Mackle, a retired director of student services, spoke of receiving emails with terrorist threats, quoting Okwuoha as stating, “Expect a massive bomb explosion at the University of Dundee. I have contacted ISIS terrorists to plant bombs on campus. I can assure you staff and students will die in great numbers.”
Accommodation officer Shane Taylor testified that Okwuoha accused him of racism and expressed plans to “wipe out Scottish people as revenge.”
Okwuoha, currently incarcerated in Perth, was found guilty of threatening to murder university staff and committing terrorist crimes between December 2021 and June 2022.
