Lucky Obukohwo Reporting
A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced three men to life imprisonment for their roles in the abduction of students and teachers from a school in Orire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Justice Salim Ibrahim handed down the sentences after the convicts, Abdulrazak Umar, also known as Abu Khalifa or Abu Khalid; Yunusa Musa, alias Yunusa bin Musa; and Shamsu Adamu Sani, also known as Abu Itisar pleaded guilty to key charges brought against them by the Federal Government.
The defendants were arraigned on Thursday on a 10-count charge bordering on terrorism, kidnapping, concealment of information, incitement, and illegal mining.
In their guilty pleas, the trio admitted concealing information about the masterminds of the school abduction and confessed to being members of Darul Salam, a group identified as an affiliate of Ansaru (Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis Sudan), a terrorist organisation outlawed by the Nigerian government.
The court held them accountable for their involvement in the crime and imposed life sentences, marking a significant milestone in the prosecution of those linked to the high-profile school kidnapping.
All three entered guilty pleas to counts four and six. Umar alone additionally pleaded guilty to counts seven through 10, which accused him of training and instructing terrorist recruits through a WhatsApp group called “The Oneness of Allah is the Foundation of Peace.”
The defendants denied wrongdoing on every other count.
Following the guilty pleas, the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, who headed the prosecution team, urged the court to proceed with sentencing on the admitted counts.
According to the charges, the three men, all residents of Suleja Local Government Area in Niger State, conspired with Muhammad Sani, Jibril Mohammed, and Ibrahim Khabab between January and May 2026 to kidnap schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State, an offence under Section 26(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Prosecutors further alleged that the defendants assisted in carrying out the abduction and concealed information about the masterminds’ identities and activities despite being aware of the plot, in violation of Sections 26(2) and 16(1) of the Act, respectively.
The Federal Government also alleged that, around 2 June 2026, the defendants admitted membership of the banned group, an act that breached Section 25(1) of the same Act.
