A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Thursday, July 23, 2026, sentenced three terrorists linked to the kidnapped of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State to life imprisonment.
The court sentence followed their plea of being guilty to the charges of terrorism-related offences.
The court presided over by Justice Salim Ibrahim declared that the life sentences imposed on Abdulrazak Umar (also known as Abu Khalifa/Abu Khalid), Yunusa Musa (alias Yunusa Bin Musa), and Shamsu Adamu Sani (alias Abu Itisar) will take effect from the date of their arrest.
Counsel to the defendants had shortly before the judgment, prayed the court to temper justice with mercy, saying that the convicts were first-time offenders who had admitted to the charges brought against them.
The defence lawyer also told the court that their guilty plea demonstrated genuine remorse, stressing that the offences they admitted to were not directly connected to the actual kidnapping.
The defence counsel also appealed for leniency, stating that the three defendants are married with children and also have elderly parents who depend on them for support, thus deserved a second chance to rebuild their lives.
However, the prosecuting counsel, stoutly opposed the plea, as he argued that the defendants were fully aware of the activities of terrorists and failed in their civic duty to alert security agencies.
The prosecution further argued that as Nigerians, the three accused persons ought to have reported the planned criminal activities instead of concealing them.
During the proceedings, the three defendants pleaded guilty to belonging to a proscribed terrorists organisation and also admitted to concealing information relating to the planning and execution of the abductions.
The first defendant, Abdulrazak Umar, pleaded guilty to four separate counts relating to terrorist training, passing instructions and inciting members of the terror group through a particular religious ideology.
The Department of State Services (DSS) that prosecuted the case, arraigned the accused who hail from Niger State on a 10-count charge bordering on terrorism, kidnapping and concealment of information.
According to the charge, the three defendants knowingly withheld intelligence about individuals involved in terrorist activities, participated in kidnapping operations and used a messaging platform to coordinate and facilitate terrorist training.
