A federal high court in Abuja has sentenced three men to life imprisonment for their roles in the kidnapping of students and teachers at a school in Orire LGA of Oyo State.
Salim Ibrahim, presiding judge, handed down the sentence after the defendants pleaded guilty to some of the charges filed against them by the federal government.
The convicts were identified as 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.
The three men were arraigned on a 10-count charge involving terrorism, kidnapping, concealment, incitement and illegal mining.
The prosecution told the court that the defendants admitted concealing information about those behind the school attack and also pleaded guilty to belonging to Darul Salam, which it described as an affiliate of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis Sudan (Ansaru), a terrorist organisation proscribed in Nigeria.
While all three defendants admitted guilt to counts four and six, Abdulrazak Umar also pleaded guilty to counts seven, eight, nine and 10, which accused him of providing training and instructions to terrorists through a WhatsApp group known as “The Oneness of Allah is the Foundation of Peace”.
The defendants denied the remaining charges brought against them.
According to the charge, the three men, who are all from Suleja LGA of Niger State, conspired with Muhammad Sani, Jibril Mohammed and Ibrahim Khabab between January and May 2026 to abduct students and teachers in Oyo State, contrary to the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The federal government also alleged that the defendants withheld information about the identities and activities of the alleged masterminds despite being aware of the planned abduction.
The prosecution further accused the defendants of admitting, on or about June 2, that they belonged to a proscribed terrorist organisation, an offence under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Rotimi Oyedepo, director of public prosecutions of the federation, urged the court to convict and sentence the defendants on the charges to which they had pleaded guilty.
Ibrahim subsequently convicted the three men on those counts and sentenced each of them to life imprisonment.
The remaining charges will proceed to trial after the defendants maintained their not guilty pleas on those counts.
