The Department of State Services (DSS) has announced plans to appeal the life imprisonment sentence handed to three men convicted over the abduction of school pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

The security agency said it was dissatisfied with the judgment, arguing that the punishment does not reflect the severity of the offences committed.

According to the DSS, the alleged beheading of two teachers by members of the terrorist group involved in the abduction amounts to a capital offence and should attract the death penalty.

The Federal High Court in Abuja had on Thursday sentenced 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, to life imprisonment after they pleaded guilty to terrorism-related offences.

Justice Salim Ibrahim convicted the three men for belonging to Darul Salam, an affiliate of the Ansaru terrorist organisation, concealing information about the kidnapping operation and promoting terrorist activities through religious ideology.

The DSS had prosecuted the defendants on a 10-count charge bordering on terrorism, kidnapping, concealment of information and related offences under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

The charges stated that the defendants, who are natives of Niger State, withheld information about individuals linked to terrorist activities, participated in kidnapping operations and used a messaging platform to facilitate terrorist training and coordination.

Umar separately pleaded guilty to additional counts involving receiving terrorist training, passing operational instructions and inciting members of the terrorist group through the propagation of extremist ideology.

The three defendants received life sentences on Count 6, while Umar was also sentenced to life imprisonment on Counts 7, 9 and 10.

The DSS said it would pursue an appeal to seek a stiffer punishment, insisting that the circumstances surrounding the crime warrant a death sentence.

The development comes days after a Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced two senior commanders of Ansaru, Mahmud Muhammad Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a, and his deputy, Mahmud al-Nigeri, also known as Mallam Mamuda, to life imprisonment.