The Department of State Services (DSS) has announced plans to appeal the life imprisonment sentence handed to three men convicted for their involvement in the abduction of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The agency said it was dissatisfied with the judgment, arguing that the punishment did not reflect the gravity of the crimes committed during the attack, including the beheading of two teachers by members of the terrorist group involved.
Justice Salim Ibrahim of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Thursday sentenced the three convicts to life imprisonment after they pleaded guilty to offences including membership of Darul Salam, an affiliate of the Ansaru terrorist organisation, concealing information relating to the kidnapping, and promoting extremist religious ideology.
The convicts are Abdulrazak Umar, also known as Abu Khalifa/Abu Khalid; Yunusa Musa, alias Yunusa Bin Musa; and Shamsu Adamu Sani, alias Abu Itisar.
Abdulrazak Umar specifically pleaded guilty to Counts 7, 8, 9 and 10, which bordered on training and issuing instructions to members of the terrorist group, as well as inciting them through extremist religious teachings.
The DSS had arraigned the suspects on a 10-count charge involving kidnapping, concealment of information and terrorism-related offences, contrary to Section 16(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
According to the prosecution, the defendants, all from Niger State, knowingly withheld information about terrorist activities, participated in the school abduction and used a messaging platform to facilitate terrorist training.
The court sentenced all three defendants to life imprisonment on Count 6. Abdulrazak Umar also received separate life sentences on Counts 7, 9 and 10.
The latest convictions come a week after the Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced two senior commanders of the Ansaru terrorist organisation, who were also arrested by the DSS, for terrorism-related offences.
