Three sentenced to life imprisonment over Oyo school kidnapping

A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced three men to life imprisonment for their involvement in the kidnapping of students and teachers at a school in Orire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

The convicts are Abdulrazak Umar, also known as Abu Khalifa or Abu Khalid; Yunusa Musa, also known as Yunusa bin Musa; and Shamsu Adamu Sani, also known as Abu Itisar.

Justice Salim Ibrahim handed down the sentences after the defendants pleaded guilty to some of the charges filed against them by the Federal Government.

The trio were arraigned on a 10-count charge bordering on terrorism, kidnapping, concealment of information, incitement and illegal mining.

They pleaded guilty to charges relating to concealing information about the alleged masterminds of the school attack and membership of Darul Salam, which the prosecution described as an affiliate of Ansaru, a proscribed terrorist organisation in Nigeria.

All three defendants pleaded guilty to counts four and six, while Umar also admitted guilt to counts seven, eight, nine and 10.

The additional charges against Umar involved allegedly providing training and instructions to terrorists through a WhatsApp group called “The Oneness of Allah is the Foundation of Peace.”

However, the defendants denied the other charges against them.

According to the prosecution, the three men, who are from Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State, conspired with Muhammad Sani, Jibril Mohammed and Ibrahim Khabab between January and May 2026 to abduct students and teachers in Oyo State.

The prosecution alleged that the defendants also aided the abduction by concealing information about the identities and activities of the alleged masterminds despite being aware of the plot.

The Federal Government further accused the defendants of admitting, on or about June 2, to being members of a proscribed terrorist organisation, an offence under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

Rotimi Oyedepo, Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, who led the prosecution, urged the court to convict and sentence the defendants on the counts to which they pleaded guilty.

The court subsequently found the three men guilty on the relevant counts and sentenced each of them to life imprisonment.

The remaining charges are expected to proceed to trial, as the defendants pleaded not guilty to those allegations.