The arraignment comes about a week after the abducted pupils and teachers regained their freedom.
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The Federal Government has arraigned three men before the Federal High Court in Abuja over the abduction of pupils and teachers from schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The defendants, Abdulrazak Umar, Yunusa Musa and Shamsu Adamu Sani, are facing a 10-count charge bordering on terrorism, kidnapping, concealment of information, incitement and illegal mining. According to court documents, Umar is also known as Abu Khalifa or Abu Khalid, Musa as Yunusa bin Musa, and Sani as Abu Itisar. All three are from Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State.
The prosecution alleged that the three defendants conspired with Muhammad Sani, Jibril Mohammed and Ibrahim Khabab between January and May 2026 to carry out the abduction of the pupils and teachers in Oyo State, an offence that violated Section 26(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The Federal Government further accused the defendants of aiding the kidnapping and deliberately concealing information about the identities and activities of the alleged masterminds despite having prior knowledge of the planned attack. The charge sheet also alleged that the trio, on or about June 2, 2026, professed membership of Darul Salam, described as an affiliate of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis Sudan, popularly known as Ansaru, a proscribed terrorist organisation in Nigeria.
In separate counts, the first defendant, Abdulrazak Umar, is specifically accused of providing training and instructions to terrorists and inciting members to commit acts of terrorism through a WhatsApp group titled “The Oneness of Allah is the Foundation of Peace”. The offences are said to contravene Sections 15 and 2(2)(g) of the Terrorism Act as well as Section 18 of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015. The tenth count accused Umar of engaging in unlawful gold mining at streams within the Chaza area of Suleja LGA between 2024 and 2026, contrary to Section 8(b) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act.
The arraignment comes about a week after the abducted pupils and teachers from Ahoro-Esiele and Yawota schools regained their freedom. A total of 39 pupils and seven teachers were abducted on May 15 after bandits attacked Community Grammar School, Ahoro-Esiele, and Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota. The attack also claimed the lives of a teacher and a commercial motorcyclist . According to reports, the victims were rescued on July 10 following an intelligence-led military operation within the Old Oyo National ParkÂ
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