The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced three men to life imprisonment for their involvement in the abduction of students and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Justice Salim Ibrahim ordered that the life sentences imposed on 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, take effect from the date of their arrest.
Before sentencing, counsel for the defendants appealed for leniency, describing them as first-time offenders who had pleaded guilty and shown remorse. The lawyer argued that the offences to which they admitted were not directly related to the kidnapping and urged the court to consider their family responsibilities, noting that they were married with children and had elderly parents who depended on them.
The prosecution opposed the plea for a lighter sentence, arguing that the defendants had prior knowledge of the activities of terrorist elements and failed to report the information to the appropriate authorities.
The three defendants pleaded guilty to membership of a proscribed terrorist group and to concealing information relating to the planning and execution of the abduction. Abdulrazak Umar also admitted to additional charges involving terrorist training, issuing instructions, and inciting members of the group through extremist religious ideology.
The Department of State Services (DSS) arraigned the three men on a 10-count charge bordering on terrorism, kidnapping, and concealment of information. Prosecutors alleged that the defendants, all from Niger State, knowingly withheld information about individuals involved in terrorist activities, participated in kidnapping, and used a messaging platform to facilitate terrorist training.
