The federal government has filed criminal charges against three men over their alleged involvement in the abduction of pupils and teachers from schools in Oriire LGA of Oyo state.
The 10-count charge, filed before the federal high court in
Abuja, accused Abdulrazak Umar, also known as Abu Khalifa or Abu Khalid, Yunusa
Musa (Yunusa bin Musa), and Shamsu Adamu Sani (Abu Itisar) of offences
bordering on terrorism, kidnapping, concealment, incitement and illegal mining.
According to the charge sheet, the defendants, all from
Suleja LGA of Niger state, allegedly conspired with three others — Muhammad
Sani, Jibril Mohammed and Ibrahim Khabab — between January and May 2026 to
kidnap the pupils and their teachers in Orire.
The government also accused the trio of aiding the abduction
and concealing information about the identities and activities of the alleged
masterminds despite having knowledge of the plot.
The defendants were equally accused of failing to report
information about the alleged masterminds and the planned abduction to security
agencies, contrary to the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
In another count, the federal government alleged that on or
about June 2, 2026, the three men professed membership of Darul Salam,
described in the charge as an affiliate of Jamaatu Asarul Muslima Fi Bilandis
Sudan (Ansaru), a proscribed terrorist organisation in Nigeria.
In a separate charge, the federal government accused Umar of
providing training and instructions to terrorists through a WhatsApp group
named ‘The Oneness of Allah is the Foundation of Peace’.
He was alleged to have used the platform to incite members
to commit acts of terrorism, an offence said to contravene provisions of both
the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and the Cybercrime
(Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015.
He was also accused of unlawfully mining gold in streams
located in Chaza area of Suleja LGA between 2024 and 2026 without lawful
authority.
The alleged offence was said to be contrary to section 8(b)
of the Miscellaneous Offences Act.
A security source said the suspects are expected to be
arraigned next week following the conclusion of investigations.
“Others are still being probed as the agency is insistent on
diligent investigation,” the source said.
BACKGROUND
On May 15, gunmen attacked three schools in Oriire LGA and
abducted 39 pupils and seven teachers, including the principal of one of the
affected schools. Two people were killed during the attack.
Days later, the abductors killed Michael Oyedokun, one of
the abducted teachers, while in captivity.
On July 10the federal government announced that all the
abductees had been rescued following a joint security operation.
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