Three jailed for life over Oyo school kidnapping

A federal high court in Abuja has sentenced three men to life imprisonment over the kidnapping of students and teachers at a school in Orire LGA of Oyo state.

Salim Ibrahim, presiding judge, sentenced the convicts after they pleaded guilty to some of the charges brought against them by the federal government.

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.

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

They admitted concealing information about the masterminds of the school attack and also pleaded guilty to belonging to Darul Salam, which the prosecution described as an affiliate of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis Sudan (Ansaru), a proscribed terrorist organisation in Nigeria.

While all three defendants pleaded guilty to counts four and six, Umar separately admitted guilt to counts seven, eight, nine and 10. The additional counts alleged that he provided training and instructions to terrorists through a WhatsApp group named ‘The Oneness of Allah is the Foundation of Peace’.

The defendants, however, denied the remaining allegations against them.

According to the charge, the three men, all from Suleja LGA of Niger state, conspired with Muhammad Sani, Jibril Mohammed and Ibrahim Khabab between January and May 2026 to kidnap students and teachers in Oyo state, contrary to the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

The prosecution also alleged that they aided the abduction by concealing information about the identities and activities of the alleged masterminds despite having knowledge of the plot.

The federal government further accused the defendants of admitting, on or about June 2, to being members of a proscribed terrorist group, 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 had pleaded guilty.

The judge subsequently found the three defendants guilty on those counts and sentenced each of them to life imprisonment.

The remaining counts are expected to proceed since the defendants maintained their innocence on those charges. (TheCable )