A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced three men to life imprisonment for their roles in the kidnapping of pupils and teachers from schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Gatekeepers News reports that the convicts — Abdulrazak Umar, also known as Abu Khalifa or Abu Khalid, Yunusa Musa (also known as Yunusa bin Musa), and Shamsu Adamu Sani (also known as Abu Itisar) — were convicted after pleading guilty to some of the charges filed against them by the Federal Government.
Justice Salim Ibrahim delivered the judgment on Thursday, sentencing the trio after they admitted their involvement in offences linked to terrorism and the school abduction. The defendants had been arraigned on a 10-count charge bordering on terrorism, kidnapping, concealment, incitement and illegal mining.
According to court documents, the three men conspired with other suspects to abduct 44 pupils and teachers during the May 15, 2026 attack on schools in Oriire LGA. Prosecutors also accused two of the convicts of aiding the kidnappers, concealing information about the operation, and failing to alert security agencies despite having prior knowledge of the crime.
The Federal Government further alleged that the convicts were members of Darul Salam, said to be affiliated with the proscribed terrorist group Ansaru. Their guilty pleas paved the way for the court to impose life imprisonment, marking a significant development in the prosecution of those behind the Oyo school kidnapping.
