SSS re-arraigns two jailed Ansaru leaders, three life-sentence terrorism convicts linked to Oyo school abduction

The State Security Service (SSS) on Wednesday arraigned five terrorism convicts recently jailed for life on fresh charges.

Join the Premium Times WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You.

Open in WhatsApp

The defendants comprise two convicted Ansaru commanders and three other men recently convicted and jailed for their connection with the last May school abduction and killing of two victims in Oyo State

The five men were arraigned before Judge Salim Ibrahim on pre-existiing charges and four fresh ones covering the impact of their alleged terror activities nationwide.

This came after the SSS expressed dissatisfaction with the life sentence earlier imposed on each of the five defendants in two separate terrorism cases.

The two convicts among the defendants are Mahmud Usman Muhammad (also known as Abu Bara’a and Abbas Mukhtar),and Abubakar Abbas (also known as Isah Adam, Mahmud al-Nigeri and Malam Mamuda). The SSS said Mr Muhammad was a self-proclaimed Emir of Ansaru, while Mr Abbas described himself as the group’s deputy and chief of staff.

The remaining defendants are Abdulrazak Umar (also known as Abu Khalifa and Abu Khalid), Yunusa Musa (also known as Yunusa bin Musa), and Shamsu Adamu Sani (also known as Abu Itisar).

PREMIUM TIMES reported that Judge Emeka Nwite sentenced Messrs Muhammad and Abbas to life imprisonment on 20 July, after they pleaded guilty to 32 charges brought by the SSS.

Three days later, Judge Ibrahim sentenced the three other newly charged defendants – Messrs Umar, Musa and Sani – to life imprisonment after they pleaded guilty to six of out 10 terrorism charges, including allegations of their complicity in the abduction of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State in May this year.

The three men were to proceed to full trial on the four remaining charges before the prosecution re-filed an amended version of the indictment on Wednesday, adding six counts and bringing in the two jailed Ansaru leaders as co-defendants.

Stay Ahead with Premium Times

Add as a preferred source on Google

In the wake of the court’s verdict, the SSS rejected the life imprisonment imposed on the convicts, saying the penalty was not commensurate to the gravity of their offences. It vowed to appeal against the judgement and push for death penalty.

In the meantime, the agency raised the existing charges pending against three of the convicts linked to the Oyo State abduction to 10 to broaden the scope of their alleged offences bring in the jailed Ansaru leaders on board. The indictment was signed by the agency’s lawyer, M.E. Ernest.

Wednesday’s hearing

Calistus Eze, who appeared for the prosecution on Wednesday, informed the judge that the prosecution filed amended charges on 29 July (today, Wednesday).

The charges were then read to all five defendants, all of whom pleaded not guilty.

The prosecution then asked the court to fix a date for trial and remand the defendants in SSS custody.

Although the defence opposed the request, Judge Ibrahim dismissed the objection and ordered that the defendants remain in SSS custody.

The judge, however, directed that the defendants should have unrestricted access to their lawyer and two family members before adjourning the case until 25 September for trial.

Fresh allegations

In the first count, the SSS alleged that Messrs Muhammad and Abbas, between 2025 and 2026, instructed members of the Jama’atu Ansaru Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan (Ansaru) terrorist group, including the three co-defendants, to kidnap and kill victims across the country if they were arrested by the government.

The agency alleged that the group’s members acted on those instructions when they abducted about 46 pupils and teachers from Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, and L.A. Primary School in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State on 15 May.

The offence is said to contravene Section 24 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and is punishable under Section 24(2)(b) of the Act.

In the second count, the SSS alleged that the two Ansaru commanders caused the deaths of two teachers, Michael Oyedokun and Deacon John Olaleye, after the abduction.

The charge said the offence contravenes Section 2(3)(g) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and is punishable under Section 24(2) of the same law.

The third count accused all five defendants of concealing information about an impending terrorist attack by the Ansaru group despite allegedly knowing that the information could have helped law enforcement agencies prevent the abduction of about 46 victims and the killing of the two teachers.

The prosecution said the alleged offence is contrary to Section 16(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

In another count, the SSS alleged that Messrs Umar, Musa and Sani conspired with Muhammad Sani, Jibril Mohammed, Ibrahim Khabab, Messrs Muhammad and Abbas, and others still at large to carry out the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area.

Background

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the SSS first arraigned the two Ansaru commanders, Mahmud Usman Muhammad and Abubakar Abbas, before the Federal High Court in Abuja on 11 September 2025 on 32 charges of terrorism, terrorism financing, kidnapping for ransom, illegal mining, fabrication of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and other related offences.

The SSS alleged that the two men coordinated sleeper cells across Nigeria, maintained links with Al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist groups operating across the Sahel and Maghreb regions, and played key roles in several terrorist attacks and kidnappings.

At their arraignment, Mr Muhammad admitted one count relating to illegal mining allegedly used to finance terrorism. Judge Emeka Nwite convicted him on that count and sentenced him to 15 years’ imprisonment. He pleaded not guilty to the remaining counts, while Mr Abbas denied all 32 charges.

The trial later opened with testimony from an SSS operative, identified only as “Triple A”, who told the court that both defendants confessed to receiving weapons and explosives training in Libya and admitted belonging to Ansaru, an Al-Qaeda-linked group that broke away from Boko Haram. The witness also linked them to kidnappings, illegal mining and other terrorist activities across several parts of Nigeria.

However, the proceedings took a dramatic turn in July when Mr Abbas asked the court for time to reconsider his not-guilty plea. Judge Nwite granted the request and adjourned the case until 20 July to enable him make a final decision.

On 20 July, both defendants abandoned their earlier position and pleaded guilty to the charges. Judge Nwite sentenced them to life imprisonment on the terrorism counts and imposed additional prison terms on the remaining counts, all to run concurrently from the date of their arrest.

Shortly after the judgment, the SSS announced that it would appeal the sentence, arguing that life imprisonment did not reflect the gravity of the offences.

The agency said investigators found it significant that the two commanders decided to plead guilty only after security forces rescued pupils and teachers abducted from schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

According to the SSS, the abductors had demanded the release of the two Ansaru commanders in exchange for the victims and later beheaded two teachers to pressure the government.

The agency argued that those circumstances justified a stiffer punishment.

Three days later, on 23 July, Judge Salim Ibrahim sentenced Abdulrazak Umar, Yunusa Musa and Shamsu Adamu Sani to life imprisonment after they pleaded guilty to terrorism offences linked to the Oriire school abduction. Like the earlier judgment, the SSS rejected the sentence as inadequate and vowed to appeal.

Wednesday’s fresh arraignment marks the first major step by the SSS after those announcements, with the agency bringing the two Ansaru commanders and the three Oriire convicts together in a new prosecution centred on the school abduction and the killing of two teachers.

Oyo school abduction and release

Terrorists attacked three schools in Ahoro-Esiele and Yawota communities in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State on 15 May, abducting 39 pupils and seven teachers.

SSS said one teacher was killed during the attack, while another, Michael Oyedokun, was later beheaded in captivity. The Federal Government later announced that another abducted teacher, Deacon John Olaleye, also died, bringing the number of teachers killed to two.

The agency said the abductors demanded the release of two Ansaru commanders, Mahmud Usman Muhammad and Abubakar Abbas, who were in its custody. The Federal Government, however, rejected the demand and launched a joint operation involving the Office of the National Security Adviser, the SSS, the military, the police and other security agencies.

On 10 July, the Presidency announced that the operation secured the release of the surviving 39 pupils and five teachers after 56 days in captivity. The Presidency also said security forces killed several terrorists and arrested eight suspects during the operation.

But it remains unclear if the three men jailed for complicity in the school abduction were part of the eight suspects arrestedd during the rescue operation.