Three men have been sentenced to life imprisonment by a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja for their involvement in the kidnapping of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Justice Salim Ibrahim handed down the sentence after the convicts, 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, pleaded guilty to charges brought against them by the Federal Government.
The prosecution, led by the Department of State Services (DSS), charged the defendants with offences bordering on terrorism, kidnapping, concealment of information relating to terrorist activities and membership of a proscribed group.
Court records showed that the three defendants admitted to concealing information about those responsible for the Oriire school kidnapping and acknowledged belonging to Darul Salam, a group prosecutors linked to the banned extremist organisation, Ansaru.
One of the convicts, Abdulrazak Umar, also pleaded guilty to additional terrorism-related offences, including providing ideological instruction and support through online platforms.
The court subsequently sentenced the three men to life imprisonment.
The convictions are connected to the May 2026 attack on three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, where armed men abducted 39 pupils and seven teachers, throwing the affected communities into panic.
The incident attracted national attention as parents and residents appealed to security agencies for the safe return of the victims.
Following weeks of intensive security operations, all the abducted pupils and teachers were eventually rescued and reunited with their families.
The Federal Government had thereafter commenced the prosecution of suspects arrested in connection with the kidnapping, maintaining that those involved in attacks on schools would be prosecuted under relevant provisions of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The life sentences handed down by the Federal High Court mark the first major convictions arising from the Oriire school kidnapping, bringing the judicial process in the case to a significant milestone.
