The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced three men convicted in connection with the abduction of students and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State to life imprisonment.
Justice Salim Ibrahim ruled that the life sentences imposed on 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, will take effect from the date of their arrest.
Before sentencing, counsel to the defendants urged the court to temper justice with mercy, noting that the convicts were first-time offenders who had pleaded guilty.
He argued that their guilty plea demonstrated remorse and maintained that the charges they admitted to were not directly related to the kidnapping itself.
The defence further appealed to the court to consider their family circumstances, stating that the men were married with children and had elderly parents who depended on them for support.
The prosecution, however, urged the court to impose an appropriate sentence, arguing that the defendants had prior knowledge of the activities of the terrorist group and failed to report the information to security agencies.
After the charges were read, all 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.
However, only the first defendant, Abdulrazak Umar, pleaded guilty to counts 7, 8, 9 and 10, which relate to training, issuing instructions, and encouraging members of a terrorist group based on a particular religious ideology.
The Department of State Services (DSS) prosecuted the three men on a 10-count charge involving kidnapping, concealment of information and terrorism-related offences.
According to the charges, the defendants, all from Niger State, knowingly withheld information about individuals linked to terrorist activities, participated in kidnapping, and used a messaging platform to facilitate terrorist training.
More details to follow.
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