BREAKING: Court Sentences Three to Life Imprisonment Over Oyo Schoolchildren Abduction

• A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced three men arrested by the DSS to life imprisonment for their involvement in the abduction of schoolchildren in Oyo State.

A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced three men arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) to life imprisonment over their involvement in the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

Justice Salim Ibrahim handed down the sentence on Thursday after the defendants pleaded guilty to some of the charges brought against them under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

The convicts are Abdulrazak Umar, also known as Abu Khalifa or Abu Khalid; Yinusa Musa, also known as Yunusa Bin Musa; and Shamu Adamu Sani, also known as Abu Itisar.

The trio faced a 10-count charge bordering on conspiracy, aiding terrorism-related kidnapping, concealing information about terrorist activities, concealing information about the abduction of schoolchildren, and membership of a proscribed terrorist organisation.

They pleaded guilty to charges relating to concealing information about the activities of the kidnappers and professing membership of Darul Salam, an affiliate of the banned terrorist group Jamā’at Anṣār al-Muslimīn fī Bilād al-Sūdān (Ansaru).

Abdulrazak Umar also pleaded guilty to four additional charges of providing terrorist training through a WhatsApp group titled “The Oneness of Allah is the Foundation of Peace,” incitement to terrorism, and illegal gold mining.

Following their guilty pleas, Justice Ibrahim sentenced all three defendants to life imprisonment on the charge of belonging to the proscribed terrorist group. They were also sentenced to 25 years imprisonment for concealing information about the activities of the kidnappers.

In addition, Umar received life imprisonment on three separate counts relating to terrorist training, incitement, and illegal mining, as well as a 20-year jail term on another terrorism-related offence.

The judge, however, adjourned the case until September 16, 2026, for the commencement of trial on the remaining charges, including conspiracy and aiding the kidnapping of the schoolchildren, to which the defendants pleaded not guilty.

According to the charge sheet, the three men conspired with other suspects identified as Muhammad Sani, Jibril Mohammed and Ibrahim Khabab to facilitate the abduction of students and teachers in Oriire LGA, Oyo State, between January and May 2026.

Prosecutors also alleged that the defendants deliberately withheld information that could have helped security agencies prevent the kidnapping and apprehend those responsible.

The court’s judgment marks a significant milestone in the prosecution of suspects linked to one of the major school abduction cases investigated by the DSS under Nigeria’s anti-terrorism laws.