In what appears to be one of Nigeria’s fastest high-profile terrorism prosecutions in recent years, a Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday sentenced three members of a terrorist support network to life imprisonment over the May abduction of dozens of pupils and teachers in Oyo State. The real abductors remain at large though.
Justice Salim Ibrahim handed down the sentences after Abdulrazak Umar (also known as Abu Khalifa or Abu Khalid), Yunusa Musa (alias Yunusa bin Musa) and Shamsu Adamu Sani (alias Abu Itisar) pleaded guilty to terrorism-related offences just days after charges were filed against them.
The court ordered that their sentences take effect from the date of their arrest.
The convictions come roughly 10 weeks after the 15 May attack on three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo state and about one week after the federal government formally charged the men, an unusually swift timeline for a terrorism prosecution in Nigeria.
Although the three men were charged in connection with the school abduction, court proceedings made clear they were not accused of carrying out the physical raid on the schools.
Instead, prosecutors said they knowingly concealed information about those who planned the attack while maintaining links with Darul Salam, which the federal government describes as an affiliate of the proscribed terrorist group Ansaru.
The charge sheet named Muhammad Sani, Jibril Mohammed and Ibrahim Khabab as the masterminds behind the school abduction. None of the three was among those convicted on Thursday, and there has been no official indication that they have been arrested.
The prosecution said that despite knowing their identities and activities, the defendants deliberately failed to alert security agencies.
All three pleaded guilty to withholding information about the planners of the attack and admitted membership of Darul Salam. They denied the remaining counts.
Abdulrazak Umar admitted to additional terrorism-related offences, including using a WhatsApp group known as “The Oneness of Allah is the Foundation of Peace” to train members, issue operational instructions and incite terrorist acts.
He also pleaded guilty to illegally mining gold in streams around Chaza in Suleja, Niger State.
The illegal mining charge is particularly significant because Nigerian security agencies have increasingly alleged that proceeds from illicit mining are helping finance terrorist operations in parts of northern and central Nigeria.
Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation Rotimi Oyedepo, who led the government’s legal team, asked the court to convict the defendants on the counts they admitted.
Defence lawyers urged the court to exercise leniency, arguing that the offences admitted by their clients were not directly related to carrying out the kidnapping itself.
They described the defendants as first-time offenders who had shown remorse, noting they were married with children and responsible for elderly parents.
Justice Ibrahim rejected the plea and sentenced all three to life imprisonment.
The speed of the case marks a notable departure from many previous terrorism prosecutions in Nigeria, which often take years because of lengthy investigations, procedural delays and contested trials.
The attack that shocked Nigeria
Gunmen stormed Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School and L.A. Primary School in the Esiele and Yawota communities of Oriire Local Government Area on May 15, abducting 39 pupils and seven teachers. Two teachers lost their lives.
Assistant headmaster Joel Adesiyan was killed while attempting to escape during the attack, while mathematics teacher Michael Oyedokun was murdered in captivity.
The remaining hostages regained their freedom on July 10 after security forces carried out an intelligence-led operation inside the Old Oyo National Park.
The Presidency said no ransom was paid, despite reports that the kidnappers demanded ₦1 billion and the release of a detained commander.
Authorities said eight suspected members of the kidnapping gang were arrested during the rescue operation.
The three men sentenced on Thursday were subsequently prosecuted by the State Security Services.
Their conviction follows last week’s life sentences imposed on two senior Ansaru leaders in a separate terrorism case, signalling what appears to be an increasingly aggressive judicial push against terrorism networks operating across Nigeria.
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