The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced three men to life imprisonment for their roles in the abduction of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Justice Salim Ibrahim ruled that the life sentences would take effect from the date of the convicts’ arrest.
The court convicted Abdulrazak Umar, also known as Abu Khalifa or Abu Khalid, Yunusa Musa (Yunusa bin Musa), and Shamsu Adamu Sani (Abu Itisar) on terrorism-related offences linked to the school kidnapping.
The trio had been arraigned by the Federal Government on a 10-count charge bordering on terrorism, kidnapping, concealment of information, incitement, and illegal mining. While they pleaded guilty to some of the charges, they denied others.
According to the prosecution, the defendants are members of Darul Salam, an affiliate of the banned terrorist group Jamaatu Asarul Muslima Fi Biladis Sudan (Ansaru). They were accused of conspiring with other suspects between January and May 2026 to facilitate the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State.
The Federal Government also alleged that the defendants deliberately concealed information about the identities and activities of the masterminds of the attack despite having prior knowledge of the plot.
During the trial, the three admitted to withholding information about those responsible for the school attack and acknowledged being members of Darul Salam. All three pleaded guilty to counts four and six, while Umar also admitted to additional charges of providing training and instructions to members of the group through a WhatsApp platform titled “The Oneness of Allah is the Foundation of Peace.”
Following the guilty pleas, the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), urged the court to convict and sentence the defendants on the counts they admitted.
Defence counsel pleaded for leniency, describing the convicts as first-time offenders who had shown remorse by pleading guilty. He argued that the offences they admitted to were not directly connected to the kidnapping and appealed to the court to consider their family responsibilities, including their wives, children and aged parents.
The prosecution, however, maintained that the convicts knowingly concealed information about terrorist activities and failed in their duty to report the plot to security agencies.
Justice Ibrahim, after considering the submissions of both parties, convicted the three men and sentenced each of them to life imprisonment.
The case stems from the May 15 attack on Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, and L.A. Primary School in the Esiele and Yawota communities of Oriire LGA, where gunmen abducted 46 people, including 39 pupils and seven teachers.
During the attack, the Assistant Headmaster of L.A. Primary School, Joel Adesiyan, was killed while attempting to escape, while a Mathematics teacher, Michael Oyedokun, was later murdered by his captors.
