The Federal Government has arraigned three men before the Federal High Court in Abuja over the abduction of pupils and teachers from schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The defendants — Abdulrazak Umar, Yunusa Musa and Shamsu Adamu Sani — are facing a 10-count charge bordering on terrorism, kidnapping, concealment, incitement and illegal mining.
The charges, filed on Friday, identify Umar as also known as Abu Khalifa or Abu Khalid, Musa as Yunusa bin Musa, and Sani as Abu Itisar. All three are natives of Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State.
According to the charge sheet, the defendants allegedly conspired with Muhammad Sani, Jibril Mohammed and Ibrahim Khabab between January and May 2026 to kidnap schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State, contrary to Section 26(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
They are also accused of aiding the three alleged kidnappers in carrying out the abduction, an offence said to contravene Section 26(2) of the Act.
In separate counts, the prosecution alleged that the defendants knowingly concealed the identities of the alleged masterminds and failed to report information about the planned and actual abduction to security agencies, despite being aware of the incident. The charges were brought under Section 16(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act.
The trio was further accused of professing membership of Darul Salam, described in the charge as an affiliate of Jamaatu Asarul Muslima Fi Bilandis Sudan (Ansaru), a proscribed terrorist organisation in Nigeria. The alleged offence was said to have been committed on or about June 2, contrary to Section 25(1) of the Act.
Three additional counts were filed solely against Umar, a resident of Sandako in Suleja. He is accused of providing training and instruction to terrorists through a WhatsApp group titled The Oneness of Allah is the Foundation of Peace in July, contrary to Sections 15 and 2(2)(g) of the Terrorism Act.
The prosecution also alleged that Umar used sermons shared on the platform to incite members to commit acts of terrorism, contrary to Section 18 of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015.
In the final count, Umar was accused of engaging in illegal gold mining at streams in the Chaza area of Suleja between 2024 and 2026 without lawful authority, contrary to Section 8(b) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act.
The charges stem 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 Local Government Area, where gunmen abducted pupils and teachers. Initial official figures put the number of victims at 46, comprising 39 pupils and seven teachers.
Two people died in connection with the incident. The assistant headmaster of L.A. Primary School, Joel Adesiyan, was killed while attempting to escape during the attack, while a Mathematics teacher, Michael Oyedokun, was beheaded by his captors during the 56-day ordeal.
The victims regained their freedom on July 10 following an intelligence-led military operation that targeted the kidnappers’ hideouts in the Old Oyo National Park.
The Nigerian Army said 44 pupils and teachers were rescued during the operation, while eight suspected members of the kidnapping gang were arrested. The Presidency maintained that no ransom was paid and no concessions were granted to the abductors, who had reportedly demanded N1 billion and the release of one of their detained commanders.
