The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced three men to life imprisonment for terrorism-related offences connected to the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Justice Salim Ibrahim delivered the judgment on Thursday, ordering that the life sentences take effect from the date of their arrest.
The convicts are 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.
They were prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS) on a 10-count charge that included terrorism, kidnapping, concealment of information and related offences.
During sentencing, counsel for the defendants asked the court to show leniency, arguing that the men were first-time offenders who voluntarily pleaded guilty and expressed remorse. The defence also told the court that the convicts are married with children and have elderly parents who depend on them.
The defence further argued that some of the charges were not directly linked to the kidnapping and urged the court to give the defendants an opportunity to rehabilitate themselves.
The prosecution opposed the request for lighter sentences, maintaining that the defendants deliberately concealed information about terrorist activities despite having knowledge of those involved. Prosecutors argued that citizens have a responsibility to report intelligence relating to terrorism to security agencies rather than withhold it.
The three defendants pleaded guilty to membership of a proscribed terrorist organisation and admitted concealing information heasrelated to the planning and execution of the abduction of students and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Abdulrazak Umar additionally pleaded guilty to four other counts involving receiving terrorist training, transmitting operational instructions and inciting members of a terrorist organisation through the promotion of a religious ideology.
According to court documents, the defendants, who are natives of Niger State, knowingly withheld intelligence on individuals involved in terrorist activities, participated in kidnapping operations and used a messaging platform to facilitate terrorist training and coordination.
The Federal Government, through the DSS, accused them of concealing information that could have prevented terrorist attacks and engaging in activities that supported a proscribed terrorist group.
Following their guilty pleas, Justice Ibrahim convicted all three defendants and sentenced them to life imprisonment.
