A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced three members of Darul Salam — an affiliate of proscribed terrorist group Ansaru — to life imprisonment over their roles in the abduction of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, with the sentence taking effect from the date of their arrest.
Three men linked to the kidnapping of school pupils and teachers in Oyo State will spend the rest of their lives behind bars — and the clock started ticking from the day they were arrested.
Justice Salim Ibrahim of the Federal High Court in Abuja handed down life sentences on Abdulrazak Umar, Yunusa Musa and Shamsu Adamu Sani on Wednesday, convicting them on charges connected to terrorism and the Oriire Local Government Area school abductions. As reported by The Punch, the court ordered that the sentence runs from the date of each convict’s arrest.
The three defendants — all from Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State — were arraigned on a 10-count charge covering terrorism, kidnapping, concealment of information, incitement and illegal mining. The Federal Government identified them as members of Darul Salam, an affiliate of Jamaatu Asarul Muslima Fi Bilandis Sudan, commonly known as Ansaru, a proscribed terrorist organisation in Nigeria.
Prosecutors alleged the trio conspired with other suspects between January and May 2026 to facilitate the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State. All three admitted to concealing information about those behind the attack and acknowledged membership of Darul Salam. Umar went further, admitting guilt on additional counts relating to providing training and instructions to group members through a WhatsApp platform titled “The Oneness of Allah is the Foundation of Peace.”
Before sentencing, defence counsel appealed for leniency, describing the convicts as first-time offenders who had shown remorse through their guilty pleas. They noted that the admitted charges were not directly connected to the kidnapping itself and highlighted the defendants’ family responsibilities as married men with children and elderly dependants.
Director of Public Prosecutions Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, urged the court to sentence the defendants on the counts they admitted. Justice Ibrahim was unmoved by the plea for mercy.
Over 40 pupils, students and teachers abducted in the May 2026 Oriire attack remain in captivity.
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