The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced three men to life imprisonment after they admitted involvement in the abduction of students and teachers from a school in Orire Local Government Area of Oyo State and confessed to links with a banned terrorist group.
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, popularly known as Abu Itisar — pleaded guilty to selected counts in a 10-count terrorism-related charge filed by the Federal Government.
The defendants were arraigned on charges bordering on terrorism, kidnapping, concealment of information, incitement, and illegal mining. During proceedings, they admitted concealing information about those behind the school abduction and acknowledged belonging to Darul Salam, a faction identified as an affiliate of the proscribed terrorist organisation Ansaru (Jamaatu Asarul Muslima Fi Bilandis Sudan).
All three pleaded guilty to counts four and six of the charge, while Umar also admitted guilt to counts seven through 10, which accused him of recruiting and training terrorist members through a WhatsApp platform known as “The Oneness of Allah is the Foundation of Peace.” They, however, denied the remaining allegations.
Following the guilty pleas, the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), who led the prosecution, urged the court to convict and sentence the defendants on the counts to which they had admitted guilt.
According to the prosecution, the convicts, all residents of Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State, conspired with three other suspects — Muhammad Sani, Jibril Mohammed, and Ibrahim Khabab — between January and May 2026 to abduct schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State, contrary to provisions of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The Federal Government also told the court that the men actively participated in the kidnapping operation and deliberately withheld information about those who planned and executed the attack despite having prior knowledge of the plot.
Prosecutors further stated that the defendants admitted membership of the outlawed Darul Salam group around June 2, 2026, an offence under Nigeria’s anti-terrorism law.
Justice Ibrahim subsequently convicted the three men on the counts to which they pleaded guilty and sentenced each of them to life imprisonment.
