Three men linked to the abduction of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State have been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Federal High Court in Abuja after pleading guilty to terrorism-related offences.
Justice Salim Ibrahim convicted Abdulrazak Umar, also known as Abu Khalifa or Abu Khalid; Yunusa Musa, also known as Yunusa bin Musa; and Shamsu Adamu Sani, also known as Abu Itisar, on Thursday.
The judge ordered that their life sentences take effect from the date of their arrest.
The convicts were arraigned by the Federal Government on a 10-count charge bordering on conspiracy, aiding kidnapping, concealing information about terrorists and professing membership of the proscribed Darul Salam sect, an affiliate of the Ansaru terrorist group.
All three defendants pleaded guilty to the charges.
Before sentencing, defence counsel urged the court to show leniency, describing the convicts as first-time offenders who had accepted responsibility for their actions.
The lawyer argued that they were not directly involved in carrying out the abduction and appealed to the court to consider that they were family men with children and elderly parents who depended on them.
He urged the court to give them “a second chance at life” by imposing a lighter sentence.
The prosecution opposed the request, arguing that the convicts knowingly concealed information about the masterminds of the kidnapping and failed to alert security agencies despite being aware of the planned operation.
Justice Ibrahim rejected the plea and sentenced the three men to life imprisonment.
According to the prosecution, the convicts conspired with other suspects, including Muhammad Sani, Jibril Mohammed and Ibrahim Khabab, to abduct pupils and teachers from schools in Oriire LGA between January and May 2026.
They were also accused of aiding the kidnapping and withholding information that could have led to the arrest of those responsible.
The charges stem from the May 15, 2026 attack in which armed men stormed three schools in Oriire Local Government Area and abducted 39 pupils and six teachers before taking them to a forest hideout.
The victims regained their freedom on July 10 following a coordinated rescue operation involving troops, the Department of State Services and other security agencies.
Announcing the rescue, President Bola Tinubu, through his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said security forces dismantled the kidnappers’ network, arrested several suspects and neutralised others during the operation.
Following Thursday’s judgment, the Elesinele of Esinele, Oba Tajudeen Adeoye, criticised the life sentences, insisting that the convicts deserved the death penalty.
“They are supposed to be killed, not sentenced to life imprisonment,” the monarch said, arguing that a harsher punishment would serve as a stronger deterrent to kidnappers and terrorists.
He added that security personnel, local hunters, vigilantes and teachers lost their lives before the abducted victims were rescued.
Also reacting, the Elerepamo of Pamo, Oba Ayobami Ogunmakin, said the government acted within the law and welcomed the court’s decision.
“We are kings; it’s the government that knows the law. What they deserve under the law is what the government should give them,” he said.
A resident of the area, identified simply as Kausara, also expressed disappointment with the sentence, saying those responsible for the killings and suffering inflicted on the victims deserved a stiffer punishment.
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