The federal government has charged three individuals with ten counts of kidnapping students and teachers from a school in Oyo State’s Oriire Local Government Area.
The defendants, Abdulrazak Umar, Yunusa Musa, and Shamsu Adamu Sani, face charges of terrorism, kidnapping, concealment, instigation, and unlawful mining.
The accusations were brought 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. All three come from the Suleja Local Government Area in Niger State.
They were accused of conspiring with Muhammad Sani, Jibril Mohammed, and Ibrahim Khabab from January to May to kidnap kids and teachers in Oyo State. The prosecution claimed the alleged conspiracy violated Section 26(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The defendants were also charged with aiding the abduction and concealing information about the identities and activities of the alleged masterminds despite being aware of the plot.
Chronicle NG reported that eight of the kidnappers were apprehended and are now in the custody of the Department of State Services, while others were neutralized during the operation.
Bayo Onanuga, the special adviser to the president on information and strategy, disclosed this in a follow-up post on his verified X handle on Friday after he announced the victims’ release.
He stated that no concession was made to the terrorists to secure the freedom of the abducted Oyo pupils and teachers.
Onanuga disclosed that the kingpin whose release the kidnappers had demanded was neither freed nor spared, as he remains under prosecution for offenses linked to his terrorist activities.
He wrote, “Updated: in the course of the rescue operation, eight of the kidnappers were arrested and are now in DSS custody, while some of them were neutralized.
“There was no quid pro quo in the rescue as one of the terrorists, a kingpin, that the kidnappers demanded his release, is being prosecuted for his atrocities. The security agencies will give a full account soon.”
He also stated that security agencies would soon provide a comprehensive account of the operation.
The students and teachers had spent weeks in captivity after gunmen stormed three schools in the Esiele and Yawota communities of the local government area on May 15, killing a teacher and later beheading another in a video that sparked national outrage.
