Alex Enumah in Abuja
A Federal High Court, in Abuja, has sentenced to life imprisonment three terrorists connected with the recent abduction of some school children and their teachers in Orire Local Government Area (LGA) of Oyo State.
Justice Salim Ibrahim convicted the three men and subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment shortly after they pleaded guilty to some of the counts filed against them by the federal government.
Delivering judgment on Thursday Justice Ibrahim handed the maximum sentencing in count six which attracted life imprisonment, and a 25-year jail term in count 4.
The convicts included; 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 in the 10-counts criminal charge against them.
However, they maintained their innocence on the remaining counts of the charge.
Meanwhile, Umar (1st defendant), who was the only one mentioned in counts seven, eight, nine and ten, pleaded guilty to all the four counts and was sentenced to life imprisonment in counts seven, nine and 10 and 20-year imprisonment in count eight.
The defendants, which according to the charge hailed from Suleja LGA of Niger State, were in count four alleged that the three defendants, sometime between January and May at Suleja LGA, concealed an information about Muhammad Sani, Jibril Mohammed and Ibrahim Khabab as terrorists who were masterminds of the kidnap of school children and teachers of Orire LGA of Oyo State but failed to report same to the relevant security operatives.
In count six where the men bagged a life imprisonment, the prosecution alleged that the defendants, on or about June 2 June at Suleja LGA, professed to be members of Darul Salam, an affiliate of Jamaatu Asarul Muslima Fi Bilandis Sudan (Ansaru) a proscribed terrorist group in Nigeria.
The offence is contrary to Section 25(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and punishable under the same section of the Act.
Recall that the federal government had on Thursday arraigned the three defendants on a 10-count charge bordering on terrorism, kidnapping, concealment, incitement, and illegal mining.
The defendants however pleaded guilty to some of the counts, admitting they concealed information about the masterminds of the school attack.
The convicts also admitted their membership of Darul Salam, which was described as an affiliate of Jamaatu Asarul Muslima Fi Bilandis Sudan (Ansaru), a proscribed terrorist organisation in Nigeria.
They were 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.
They were in addition said to have aided the kidnapping of the school children and teachers, as well as concealed information regarding the identities and activities of the alleged masterminds, despite knowledge of the plot, thereby committing offences contrary to Sections 26(2) and 16(1) of the Act, respectively.
Furthermore, the FG alleged that the defendants had, on or about June 2, confessed to membership of a proscribed group.
By their membership in the terrorist sect, they were alleged to have acted in breach of Section 25(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Meanwhile, the matter has been adjourned to September 16 and 17 for commencement of trial in counts one, two, three and five where they pleaded not guilty.