An Abuja Federal High Court sentenced three men to life imprisonment for the Oyo school abduction of students and teachers from a school in Oyo State’s Orire Local Government Area.
Presiding Judge Salim Ibrahim delivered the sentence following the defendants’ guilty plea to select counts filed by the federal government. The convicts were identified as Abdulrazak Umar (alias Abu Khalifa or Abu Khalid), Yunusa Musa (alias Yunusa bin Musa), and Shamsu Adamu Sani (alias Abu Itisar). The group faced a 10-count charge covering terrorism, kidnapping, concealment, incitement, and illegal mining.
Justice Salim Ibrahim sentenced the three convicts—Abdulrazak Umar (also known as Abu Khalifa/Abu Khalid), Yunusa Musa (also known as Yunusa bin Musa), and Shamsu Adamu Sani (also known as Abu Itisar)—after they pleaded guilty to multiple federal charges.
The 10-count charge against them included terrorism, kidnapping, concealment, incitement, and illegal mining.
The defendants admitted to withholding information about the school attackers and confessed to membership in Darul Salam, an organization linked by prosecutors to the Nigerian terrorist group Ansaru. While all three pleaded guilty to counts four and six, Umar also admitted guilt on counts seven through ten, which accused him of delivering terrorist training through a WhatsApp group named “The Oneness of Allah is the Foundation of Peace.”
The defendants, however, denied the remaining allegations against them.
Following this, the judge convicted the three defendants on those specific charges and handed them life sentences. Meanwhile, the remaining counts are set to go to trial, as the defendants continue to plead not guilty to those allegations.
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Backstory…
The life sentences mark the latest development in the of Oyo school abduction cases, which heightened fears over the growing wave of abductions targeting educational institutions across Nigeria.
The sentence also comes just six days after authorities arraigned the three suspects.
The incident sparked nationwide outrage after armed men invaded the school, abducting pupils and staff before demanding ransom for their release. The attack reignited concerns about the safety of schools despite repeated government assurances and investments under the Safe Schools Initiative.
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