The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has sentenced three men to life imprisonment for their involvement in the kidnapping of students and teachers of a school in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The convicts are Abdulrazak Umar, also known as Abu Khalifa or Abu Khalid; Yunusa Musa, also known as Yunusa bin Musa; and Shamsu Adamu Sani, also known as Abu Itisar.
Justice Salim Ibrahim handed down the sentences after the three defendants pleaded guilty to some of the terrorism-related charges brought against them by the Federal Government.
The defendants were arraigned before the court on Thursday on a 10-count charge bordering on terrorism, kidnapping, concealment of information, incitement and illegal mining.
During the proceedings, the defendants admitted to concealing information about the alleged masterminds behind the attack on the school. They also admitted to being members of Darul Salam, which the prosecution described as an affiliate of Jamaatu Asarul Muslima Fi Bilandis Sudan, also known as Ansaru, a terrorist organisation proscribed by the Nigerian government.
All three defendants pleaded guilty to counts four and six of the charge. However, only the first defendant, Umar, also known as Abu Khalid, pleaded guilty to counts seven, eight, nine and 10.
The additional charges against Umar were linked to allegations that he provided training and instructions to members of a terrorist group through a WhatsApp platform known as “The Oneness of Allah is the Foundation of Peace.”
The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the remaining counts contained in the charge.
Following their pleas, the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, who led the Federal Government’s legal team, urged the court to proceed with sentencing on the counts to which the defendants had admitted guilt.
The prosecution alleged that the three men, who are all from Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State, conspired with Muhammad Sani, Jibril Mohammed and Ibrahim Khabab between January and May 2026 to kidnap schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State.
According to the Federal Government, the alleged offences violated Section 26(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The defendants were also accused of assisting in the kidnapping of the students and teachers and deliberately withholding information about the identities and activities of the alleged masterminds, despite allegedly having knowledge of the plot.
The prosecution said the alleged acts amounted to offences under Sections 26(2) and 16(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The Federal Government further alleged that the defendants confessed on or about June 2 to being members of a proscribed terrorist organisation.
Their alleged membership of the group was said to constitute a violation of Section 25(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The court subsequently convicted and sentenced the three defendants to life imprisonment on the counts to which they pleaded guilty.
