BREAKING: Court sentences Oyo schoolchildren’s kidnappers to life in prison

Three persons have been jailed for life at the Federal High Court in Abuja for participating in the abduction of teachers and pupils from a school in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

According to the court’s judgment, Justice Salim Ibrahim imposed the sentence following the plea of guilt entered by Abdulrazak Umar (alias Abu Khalifa/Abu Khalid), Yunusa Musa (alias Yunusa bin Musa), and Shamsu Adamu Sani (alias Abu Itisar) on charges of committing various terrorism offences against them by the Federal Government.

The three men were arraigned on Thursday on a 10-count charge of terrorism, kidnapping, concealment of information, incitement, and illegal mining.

In the course of the trial, the suspects confessed that they concealed information concerning the people behind the abduction of the school children and teachers.

The suspects also admitted to being members of the terrorist group called ‘Darul Salam,’ which, according to the prosecution, is an affiliate of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis Sudan (Ansaru).

While all three defendants pleaded guilty to counts four and six of the charge, only Abdulrazak Umar admitted guilt to counts seven, eight, nine and 10, which accused him of providing terrorist training and sharing extremist messages through a WhatsApp group named “The Oneness of Allah is the Foundation of Peace.”

The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the remaining charges.

Following their guilty plea, the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), urged the court to convict and sentence them on the counts they had admitted.

Justice Ibrahim subsequently sentenced the three men to life imprisonment.

According to the prosecution, the convicts, all from Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State, conspired with Muhammad Sani, Jibril Mohammed and Ibrahim Khabab between January and May 2026 to facilitate the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State, contrary to the provisions of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

The Federal Government further accused them of aiding the kidnapping operation and deliberately concealing information about the identities and activities of the alleged masterminds despite having prior knowledge of the plot.

Investigators also told the court that the defendants admitted during interrogation on June 2 to being members of the proscribed terrorist group, an offence punishable under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

The conviction marks another major breakthrough in the prosecution of suspects linked to terrorist activities and the kidnapping of schoolchildren in Nigeria.