The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday sentenced three terrorists linked to the May abduction of school children and teachers in Orire Local Government Area (LGA) of Oyo State, to a life imprisonment.
Justice Salim Ibrahim sentenced the three men after they pleaded guilty to some of the 10 terrorism charges preferred against them by the federal government.
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The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 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), pleaded guilty to counts four and six.
PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that the three defendants pleaded guilty to some of the 10 charges when they made their first court appearance on Thursday, about six days after the federal government filed the charges last Friday.
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They pleaded guilty to six counts in total.
Mr Umar, the first defendant, pleaded guilty to Counts 7, 8, 9 and 10, which are all four charges naming him as the sole defendant.
The four counts accused him of providing training and instructions to terrorists and inciting members to commit acts of terrorism through a WhatsApp group titled, “The Oneness of Allah is the Foundation of Peace.”
But Mr Musa and Mr Sani pleaded guilty to two charges as contained in Counts 4 and 6.
Count 4 alleged that the three defendants, sometime between January and May in Suleja LGA, concealed information of Muhammad Sani, Jibril Mohammed and Ibrahim Khabab as being terrorists who masterminded the kidnap of school children and teachers in Oriire LGA of Oyo State, but failed to report same to the relevant security agencies.
The charges were brought under various provisions of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Judge Ibrahim sentenced them to life imprisonment for Count 6, the maximum penalty prescribed by law for the offence, and gave them a 25-year jail term for Count 4.
The judge sentenced Mr Umar to the maximum penalty of life imprisonment for Counts 7, 9 and 10, while jailing him for 20 years for Count 8.
The convicts maintained their innocence regarding the remaining four counts numbered 1, 2, 3 and 5.
Justice Ibrahim then adjourned the matter until 16 and 17 September, for commencement of trial on the remaining four charges.
NAN reports that the men, who were arrested by the State Security Service (SSS) all hail from Suleja LGA of Niger State.
PREMIUM TIMES had reported that the charges, filed by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, include terrorism, conspiracy, aiding kidnapping, and concealment of terrorist activities.
The defendants were also charged with membership of a proscribed terrorist organisation, incitement to terrorism, provision of terrorist training, cyber-related offences and unlawful mining.
The prosecution alleged that the trio, all from Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State, conspired with Muhammad Sani, Jibril Mohammed and Ibrahim Khabab, who are said to be at large, to kidnap the pupils and teachers between January and May.
It further alleged that they aided the abduction and concealed information about the identities and activities of the alleged masterminds despite having prior knowledge of the plot.
The charges also accused the three defendants of professing membership of Darul Salam, described as an affiliate of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis Sudan (Ansaru), a proscribed terrorist organisation in Nigeria.
Separate allegations were made against the first defendant, Mr Umar. The prosecution accused him of providing training and instructions to terrorists and inciting members to commit acts of terrorism through a WhatsApp group titled, ‘The Oneness of Allah is the Foundation of Peace.”
Mr Umar was also accused of engaging in unlawful gold mining in the Chaza area of Suleja Local Government Area between 2024 and 2026.
Kidnap and rescue
The charges arrived barely a week after the Nigerian military in collaboration with other security forces rescued 44 schoolchildren and teachers abducted by kidnappers in three schools in Yawota and Ahoro-Esinele in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The rescue ended the 56-day captivity of the survivors who terrorists seized on 15 May.
Two of the three teachers abducted by the kidnappers were killed in captivity. One of them, Michael Oyedokun, was beheaded days after his abduction, while the other, a pastor named John Olaleye, was also killed while being held by the abductors.
Three security personnel were also killed during the rescue operation in separate gun battles with the kidnappers. The officers were Lieutenant F. A. Isaac (N/20349) of the Nigerian Army, Private Silas Musa (23NA/84/4604) of the 81 Battalion, Nigerian Army, and Sergeant Abena John Jerome (F/No. 234511) of the Nigeria Police Force.
In a statement following the successful rescue operation, the Presidency quoted President Bola Tinubu as saying some kidnappers were killed and at least eight terrorists were arrested.
Six charges convicts were jailed for
The convicts were jailed on Thursday for six charges, although their trial will proceed on the four remaining counts they denied.
The six offences are Counts 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10.
In Count 4, the prosecution alleged that the three defendants concealed information about the identities and activities of the alleged masterminds despite knowing they were involved in the kidnapping.
Count 6 alleged that the three defendants professed membership of Darul Salam, described in the charge as an affiliate of the proscribed terrorist group Ansaru, contrary to Section 25(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Counts 7 and 8 relate only to Mr Umar. The prosecution alleged that he provided training and instructions to terrorists through a WhatsApp group titled The Oneness of Allah is the Foundation of Peace, contrary to Sections 15 and 2(2)(g) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
In Count 9 the prosecution accused Mr Umar of using the same WhatsApp group to incite members to commit acts of terrorism, contrary to Section 18 of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015.
Count 10 accused Mr Umar of unlawfully mining gold in streams within the Chaza area of Suleja Local Government Area between 2024 and 2026, contrary to Section 8(b) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act.
The pending charges
Following Thursday’s judgement, the defendants will now face four charges to which they maintain their innocence.
These are Counts 1, 2, 3 and 5.
In Count 1, the prosecution alleged that the three defendants conspired with Muhammad Sani, Jibril Mohammed and Ibrahim Khabab to kidnap schoolchildren and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State between January and May, contrary to Section 26(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Counts 2 and three alleged that they aided the three suspects in carrying out the abduction, contrary to Section 26(2) of the Act.
Count 5 accused them of failing to report information they allegedly had about the planned abduction to security agencies to facilitate the suspects’ arrest.
The Oyo abduction
PREMIUM TIMES reported that gunmen abducted 39 pupils and six teachers from two primary schools and one secondary school in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State on 15 May. One teacher was killed during the attack.
The incident prompted a joint operation by security agencies after President Bola Tinubu directed them to secure the victims’ release.
After 56 days in captivity, the Presidency announced on 10 July that the abducted pupils and teachers had been rescued.
Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga said the rescue followed a coordinated security operation that also led to the arrest of eight suspected kidnappers.
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