FG FILES 10-COUNT CHARGE AGAINST THREE OVER OYO SCHOOLCHILDREN, TEACHERS’ ABDUCTION
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By ‘Sefiu Ajape
The Federal Government has filed a 10-count charge against three men 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 charges bordering on terrorism, kidnapping, concealment, incitement and illegal mining.
The charges were filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday.
Umar is also known as Abu Khalifa or Abu Khalid, Musa as Yunusa bin Musa, and Sani as Abu Itisar.
In the first count, the trio were accused of conspiring with Muhammad Sani, Jibril Mohammed and Ibrahim Khabab between January and May to kidnap schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State, an offence the prosecution said contravenes Section 26(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Counts two and three accused the defendants of actively aiding the same three men in carrying out the abduction, contrary to Section 26(2) of the Act.
Counts four and five relate to concealment. The prosecution alleged that the defendants knew Muhammad Sani, Jibril Mohammed and Ibrahim Khabab were the masterminds of the kidnapping and were also aware of the abduction, yet failed to report the information to security agencies to facilitate their arrest.
Both counts were filed under Section 16(1) of the Terrorism Act.
The sixth count accused the three defendants of professing membership of Darul Salam, described in the charge sheet as an affiliate of Jamaatu Asarul Muslima Fi Bilandis Sudan (Ansaru), a proscribed terrorist organisation in Nigeria.
The alleged offence was said to have been committed on or about June 2, contrary to Section 25(1) of the Act.
Counts seven to nine were brought solely against Umar, a resident of Sandako, Suleja.
He was accused of providing training and instruction to terrorists through a WhatsApp group titled “The Oneness of Allah is the Foundation of Peace” in July, an offence said to contravene Sections 15 and 2(2)(g) of the Terrorism Act.
He was further accused of using sermons on the same platform to incite members to commit acts of terrorism, contrary to Section 18 of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015.
The 10th count, also against Umar alone, alleged that he engaged in illegal gold mining at streams in the Chaza area of Suleja between 2024 and 2026 without lawful authority, contrary to Section 8(b) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act.
The charges stem from the mass abduction that occurred on May 15 when gunmen attacked Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, and L.A. Primary School in the Esiele and Yawota communities of Oriire.
Initial official reports put the number of victims at 46, comprising 39 pupils and seven teachers.
Two people lost their lives in connection with the attack. The assistant headmaster of L.A. Primary School, Joel Adesiyan, was killed while attempting to escape during the raid, while a Mathematics teacher, Michael Oyedokun, was beheaded by his captors during the 56-day ordeal.
The victims regained their freedom on July 10 following an intelligence-led military operation that targeted the kidnappers’ hideouts in the Old Oyo National Park.
The Nigerian Army said 44 pupils and teachers were rescued, while eight suspected members of the gang were arrested. The Presidency maintained that no ransom was paid and no concessions were made to the kidnappers, who had reportedly demanded ₦1 billion and the release of a detained commander.
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