Three men have been handed life sentences after admitting their involvement in terrorism-related offences connected to the kidnapping of students and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The judgment was delivered by Justice Salim Ibrahim of the Federal High Court in Abuja, who ruled that the prison terms of Abdulrazak Umar (also known as Abu Khalifa/Abu Khalid), Yunusa Musa (alias Yunusa Bin Musa), and Shamsu Adamu Sani (alias Abu Itisar) would begin from the date they were arrested.
The defendants had earlier pleaded guilty to belonging to a banned terrorist organisation and concealing information linked to the planning and execution of the abduction.
Abdulrazak Umar also admitted to additional charges involving terrorist training, passing instructions, and promoting extremist religious ideology.
Although the defence asked the court to show mercy, citing the convicts’ guilty pleas, remorse, family responsibilities, and status as first-time offenders, the prosecution argued that they failed in their duty by not reporting known terrorist activities to security agencies.
The three men, all from Niger State, were prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS) on a 10-count charge involving terrorism, kidnapping, concealing information, and using a messaging platform to facilitate terrorist training.
