After pleading guilty, Orire school abductors get life sentence

** DSS kicks, demands death sentence, set to appeal judgement

By Eze Nzeh

There are strong indications that the Department of State Security (DSS) may again head to the appeal court to challenge yesterday’s high court judgement that sentenced three Oriire, Oyo State school abductors to life imprisonment.

Recall that the abductors, who were alleged to belong the Ansari terrorist group abducted about 46 Oyo school children and teachers, who were held in captivity for 56 days before they were reportedly rescued by a joint security forces comprising the DSS, Nigerian military, the Police and Nigeria Civil Security Defence Corps.

The group also beheaded a one of the teachers while in captivity, while one was similarly killed during the kidnap operation.

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday, sentenced three persons who were arrested and charged by the DSS for their involvement in the Oriire school killings and abductions to life in prison over their complicity.

Justice Salim Ibrahim in his ruling, convicted and sentenced the defendants, Abdulrazak Umar (a.k.a. Abu Khalifa/Abu Khalid), Yunusa Musa (a.k.a. Yunusa bin Musa), and Shamsu Adamu Sani (a.k.a. Abu Itisar), after they pleaded guilty to some of the 10 count charges that were read before them, which included terrorism, kidnapping, concealment, incitement, and illegal mining amongst others.

Following their arraignment, they admitted that they concealed information about the masterminds of the school attack.

The defendants also admitted to be members of Darul Salam, which was described as an affiliate of Jamaatu Asarul Muslima Fi Bilandis Sudan (Ansaru), a proscribed terrorist organisation in Nigeria.

Following their guilty pleas, leader of the federal government prosecutibg team, the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, who is also the Director of Public Prosecution, urged the court to sentence the defendants on the counts they admitted.

But the defence counsel, however, pleaded with the court for leniency, describing them as first-time offenders who had shown remorse by pleading guilty.

The defence counsel argued that the charges they admitted were not directly related to the kidnapping itself and appealed to the court to consider their family responsibilities, noting that they were married men with children and had aged parents dependent on them.

However, prosecution counsel further countered the defence counsel’s position. arguing that the convicts were aware of the activities of those involved in the attack and, as responsible citizens, ought to have reported the information to security authorities.

The court, after considering the submissions of both parties, convicted the defendants and sentenced them to life imprisonment.

The convicts, who are all from Suleja LGA of Niger State, were among other charges, alleged to have conspired with one Muhammad Sani, Jibril Mohammed, and Ibrahim Khabab, between January and May 2026, to kidnap school children and teachers in Oyo State, contrary to Section 26(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

The prosecution also noted that by their membership in the Ansaru terrorist sect, they were alleged to have acted in breach of Section 25(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

It would be recalled also that another federal high court in Abuja had last week, sentenced two top commanders of the Ansaru terrorist organisation who were also captured by the DSS, to life imprisonment.

The commanders, were Mahmud Muhammad Usman (Abu Bara’a) and his deputy Mahmud al-Nigeri (Mallam Mamuda).

Recall also that part of the demand by the Oriire school abductors were the unconditional barter release of the arrested Ansaru commanders for the release of the abducted school children and their teachers. This, the federal government rejected before they were rounded up and eventually arrested and rescued the abducted school children and teachers after 56 days in the Oyo National Park forest.

However, the Department of State Services, (DSS) rejected the court ruling on the Ansaru commanders and expressed their readiness to challenge it at the appeal court, insisting that the punishment does not reflect the gravity of their crimes committed by the terrorists.

Justice Emeka Nwite had on Monday sentenced Abubakar Abba, also known as Abu Bara’a, and Mahmud Usman, alias Isah Adam/Mahmud, to life imprisonment after they pleaded guilty to a 32-count terrorism charge filed against them by the DSS on behalf of the Federal Government.

While rejecting the earlier sentences, the security agency claimed that the Oriire abductors had demanded the unconditional release of the two Ansaru commanders as a condition for freeing the victims and allegedly beheaded two teachers to pressure the government.

“The reason the terrorists beheaded the two Oriire teachers was to put pressure on government to release these two Ansaru commanders. It, therefore, wouldn’t be fair to see two men beheaded and their families are made to live with the losses without adequately bringing the culprits to book,” the DSS was quoted as saying.