The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced three men linked to the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State to life imprisonment after they pleaded guilty to terrorism-related offences.
Justice Salim Ibrahim, who delivered the judgment, ordered that the life sentences imposed on the convicts 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 arraigned by the Department of State Services (DSS) on a 10-count charge bordering on terrorism, kidnapping, concealment of information and other related offences.
Before sentencing, counsel to the defendants pleaded with the court to exercise leniency, arguing that the convicts were first-time offenders who had voluntarily admitted their guilt.
The defence further submitted that the three men were married with children and had aged parents who depended on them for support. It also argued that most of the charges were not directly connected with the kidnapping and urged the court to give them an opportunity to reform.
The prosecution, however, opposed the plea, insisting that the defendants deliberately concealed information about terrorist activities despite knowing those responsible for the operation.
According to the prosecution, the convicts failed in their civic responsibility to report intelligence on terrorist activities to security agencies and instead shielded those involved.
The three defendants pleaded guilty to membership of a proscribed terrorist organisation and admitted concealing information relating to the planning and execution of the abduction of students and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area.
Abdulrazak Umar alone also pleaded guilty to additional charges of receiving terrorist training, transmitting operational instructions and inciting members of a terrorist organisation through the propagation of a religious ideology.
The charge sheet stated that the defendants, all from Niger State, knowingly withheld intelligence on persons 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 capable of preventing terrorist attacks and engaging in activities in support of a proscribed terrorist organisation.
After reviewing their guilty pleas and the facts of the case, Justice Ibrahim convicted the three defendants and sentenced each of them to life imprisonment.
