A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced three suspects linked to the abduction of students and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State to life imprisonment.
Justice Salim Ibrahim ruled that the sentences of Abdulrazak Umar, also known as Abu Khalifa or Abu Khalid, Yunusa Musa, and Shamsu Adamu Sani will take effect from the date of their arrest.
The defence urged the court to show leniency. Counsel argued that the men were first-time offenders who had pleaded guilty, describing their admission as proof of remorse. The lawyer also told the court that the convicts were married with children and had elderly parents who depended on them.
However, the prosecution insisted the defendants knew about terrorist activities and failed to report them to security authorities.
The three men admitted belonging to a proscribed terrorist organisation and concealing information about the planning and execution of the Oriire abduction.
Abdulrazak Umar also pleaded guilty to additional charges involving terrorist training, issuing instructions, and promoting extremist religious ideology.
The Department of State Services (DSS) prosecuted the suspects on a 10-count charge covering terrorism-related offences, kidnapping, concealment of information, and the use of a messaging platform to facilitate terrorist training. The court convicted them based on their guilty pleas.
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