The Federal High Court in Abuja has convicted and sentenced three men to life imprisonment for their involvement in the abduction of pupils and teachers from schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Justice Salim Ibrahim delivered the judgment after finding Abdulrazak Umar, also known as Abu Khalifa or Abu Khalid, Yunusa Musa (Yunusa bin Musa) and Shamsu Adamu Sani, alias Abu Itisar, guilty of terrorism-related offences connected to the attack.
The court ordered that the life sentences should run from the date the convicts were arrested.
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.
According to the prosecution, the defendants were members of Darul Salam, a group alleged to be affiliated with the proscribed terrorist organisation Jama'atu Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis Sudan (Ansaru).
The Federal Government alleged that the defendants conspired with other suspects between January and May 2026 to facilitate the kidnapping of schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State and deliberately withheld information that could have prevented the attack.
During the proceedings, all three defendants pleaded guilty to charges relating to concealing information about the activities of the terrorist group and admitted belonging to Darul Salam.
Abdulrazak Umar also admitted to additional charges of providing training and ideological guidance to members of the group through a WhatsApp platform named "The Oneness of Allah is the Foundation of Peace."
However, they denied the remaining charges.
Following the guilty pleas, the prosecution, led by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), urged the court to convict the defendants on the offences they admitted.
Counsel to the defendants appealed for mercy, describing them as first-time offenders who had demonstrated remorse by accepting responsibility for some of the charges. He also urged the court to consider their family circumstances, noting that they were married with children and had elderly parents who relied on them.
The prosecution opposed the plea for leniency, arguing that the convicts knowingly concealed information about terrorist activities and failed in their civic responsibility to report the planned attack to security agencies.
Justice Ibrahim subsequently convicted the defendants and imposed life imprisonment.
The case arose 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 46 people, including 39 pupils and seven teachers.
During the attack, Assistant Headmaster of L.A. Primary School, Joel Adesiyan, was killed while trying to escape, while Mathematics teacher Michael Oyedokun was later murdered by his captors.
The remaining victims were rescued on July 10 after Nigerian troops carried out an intelligence-led operation against the kidnappers' hideouts in the Old Oyo National Park.
The Nigerian Army later announced that 44 pupils and teachers had been rescued, while eight suspected members of the kidnapping gang were arrested.
The Presidency also disclosed that the government did not pay any ransom or grant any concessions to the kidnappers, who had reportedly demanded N1 billion and the release of one of their detained commanders.
The successful rescue operation paved the way for the prosecution of the suspects, leading to the court's decision to sentence the three convicts to life imprisonment for their roles in the attack.
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