Lucky Obukohwo Reporting
The Department of State Services (DSS) has vowed to challenge the life imprisonment sentences imposed on three convicted members of the Ansaru terrorist group, insisting that the punishment is inadequate considering the severity of their crimes.
The agency announced its intention to appeal the judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja, arguing that the life sentences failed to reflect the gravity of the offences, particularly the murder of two teachers during the abduction of schoolchildren and staff in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Justice Salim Ibrahim sentenced the three convicts- Abdulrazak Umar, also known as Abu Khalifa or Abu Khalid; Yunusa Musa, alias Yunusa Bin Musa; and Shamsu Adamu Sani, alias Abu Itisar after they pleaded guilty to terrorism-related charges filed by the DSS.
During the proceedings, the convicts admitted to being members of Darul Salam, a faction linked to the proscribed Ansaru terrorist group, formally known as Jamā’atu Ansāril Muslimīna fī Bilādis Sūdān.
They also confessed to concealing intelligence about the planned abduction, acknowledging that the kidnappers Muhammad Sani, Jibril Mohammed and Ibrahim Khabab were their associates. According to the court, the trio deliberately failed to alert security agencies despite having prior knowledge of the operation.
In addition to the terrorism charges, Abdulrazak Umar pleaded guilty to providing terrorist training, issuing operational directives to members of the group, and using a WhatsApp platform titled The Oneness of Allah is the Foundation of Peace to spread extremist ideology and encourage acts of terrorism.
A DSS operative, identified in court as “Witness AA”, testified that the confessional statements were made voluntarily in the presence of the defendants’ legal representatives.
The court admitted the DSS investigation report, which had earlier been forwarded to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, as evidence.
Defence counsel, A.A. Shetima, pleaded for leniency, describing the convicts as first-time offenders with aged parents and dependants.
He argued that they did not directly participate in the abduction but merely concealed information relating to it.
However, the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), opposed the plea, insisting that the kidnapping could have been prevented if the defendants had disclosed what they knew.
He also told the court that security personnel lost their lives during the rescue operation and urged the judge to impose the maximum punishment as a deterrent.
Justice Ibrahim subsequently sentenced all three men to life imprisonment.
Reacting to the judgment, the DSS maintained that while the convictions represented another milestone in the fight against terrorism, the punishment imposed was inadequate.
According to the agency, the beheading of two teachers during the attack constitutes a capital offence that should attract the death penalty under Nigerian law.
The defendants, all natives of Niger State, were prosecuted on a 10-count charge bordering on terrorism, kidnapping, concealment of information and facilitating terrorist activities, contrary to Section 16(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The prosecution told the court that the defendants knowingly withheld information about terrorist operations, facilitated the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers and used digital communication platforms to coordinate terrorist training and activities.
Justice Ibrahim sentenced the three convicts to life imprisonment on Count Six, while Abdulrazak Umar received additional life sentences on Counts Seven, Nine and Ten.
The DSS said it would challenge the judgment at the Court of Appeal, insisting that the offences committed warranted the maximum punishment prescribed by law.
The development comes days after another Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced two senior Ansaru commanders Mahmud Muham
