The Department of State Services (DSS) has announced plans to challenge the life imprisonment handed to three men convicted over the abduction of school pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, insisting that the punishment does not reflect the gravity of the offences.
The agency said it would appeal the judgment and seek the death penalty, arguing that the killing of two teachers during the incident amounts to a capital offence under Nigerian law.
The development follows Thursday’s judgment by Justice Salim Ibrahim, who sentenced the three defendants to life imprisonment after they pleaded guilty to terrorism-related offences.
The convicts — Abdulrazak Umar, also known as Abu Khalifa or Abu Khalid, Yunusa Musa (Yunusa Bin Musa), and Shamsu Adamu Sani (Abu Itisar) — admitted to charges including membership of Darul Salam, an affiliate of the Ansaru terrorist group, concealing information relating to the abduction, and promoting extremist ideology.
Court documents showed that Abdulrazak Umar also pleaded guilty to additional counts involving the training and indoctrination of members of the terrorist organisation.
DailyInsightNG reports that the suspects were prosecuted on a 10-count charge under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The charges included kidnapping, withholding information about terrorist activities and using digital communication platforms to facilitate terrorist training.
Justice Ibrahim imposed life imprisonment on the defendants for the relevant counts after they entered guilty pleas.
However, the DSS believes the sentence is inadequate, maintaining that the reported beheading of two teachers during the attack warrants the maximum punishment provided by law.
The agency’s appeal, if filed, will ask a higher court to review the judgment and impose a death sentence on the convicted men.
The case comes amid intensified efforts by security agencies to prosecute terrorism-related offences across the country.
Earlier reports showed that a Federal High Court in Abuja recently sentenced two senior Ansaru commanders — Mahmud Muhammad Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a, and Mahmud al-Nigeri (Mallam Mamuda) — to life imprisonment over terrorism-related offences.
The appellate court will determine whether the sentences imposed in the Oriire case should stand or be reviewed.