The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced three suspects 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 handed down the judgment on the three convicts, identified as Abdulrazak Umar, also known as Abu Khalifa/Abu Khalid; Yunusa Musa, also known as Yunusa Bin Musa; and Shamsu Adamu Sani, also known as Abu Itisar, ordering that their life sentences take effect from the date of their arrest.
The three men were prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS) on a 10-count charge bordering on terrorism, kidnapping, concealment of information and other related offences.
Before the sentencing, counsel to the defendants pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy, urging Justice Ibrahim to impose lighter sentences.
The defence lawyer argued that the convicts were first-time offenders who had voluntarily pleaded guilty, describing their decision as evidence of genuine remorse.
He further told the court that all three were married with children and had elderly parents who depended on them for support.
According to him, most of the charges preferred against them were not directly related to the kidnapping itself, and he urged the court to give them another opportunity to rebuild their lives.
However, counsel for the prosecution opposed the plea for leniency, arguing that the convicts knowingly concealed information about terrorist activities despite being fully aware of those involved in the operation.
The prosecutor maintained that as Nigerian citizens, the defendants had a duty to report information concerning terrorist activities and those operating on the battlefield to the appropriate security authorities instead of shielding them.
Following the reading of the charges, the three defendants pleaded guilty to membership of a proscribed terrorist organisation.
They also admitted to concealing information relating to the planning and execution of the abduction of students and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area.
However, only the first defendant, Abdulrazak Umar, alias Abu Khalifa/Abu Khalid, pleaded guilty to Counts 7, 8, 9 and 10, which bordered on allegedly receiving terrorist training, passing operational instructions and inciting members of a terrorist organisation through the propagation of a particular religious ideology.
According to the charge sheet, the defendants, all natives of Niger State, knowingly withheld intelligence regarding individuals connected to 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 of engaging in activities aimed at supporting a proscribed terrorist group.
After considering the guilty pleas, the court convicted the three defendants and sentenced them to life imprisonment.
(SaharaReporters)