Three suspects standing trial at the Federal High Court have over the kidnap of students and teachers at Government school in Orire Local Government in Oyo State have pleaded guilty to concealing information about the alleged masterminds behind the attack.
The defendants, Abdulrazak Umar, Yunusa Musa and Shamsu Sani, entered the guilty plea after the Federal Government arraigned them on a 10-count charge bordering on terrorism-related offences.
The prosecution alleged that the trio conspired with three other suspects between January and May 2026 to facilitate the abduction of the victims, an offence said to contravene the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
According to the charge sheet, the defendants also allegedly professed to being members of the Darul Salam, an organisation described by the prosecution as an affiliate of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis Sudan (Ansaru), proscribed as a terrorist organisation in Nigeria.
The alleged offence was said to have been committed on or about June 2, 2026, in violation of Section 25(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The first defendant, Abdulrazak Umar, faces additional allegations of providing training and operational instructions to members of the terrorist group and using a WhatsApp platform titled “The Oneness of Allah is the Foundation of Peace” to incite members to commit acts of terrorism.
The prosecution claimed that the alleged offences contravened Sections 15 and 2(2)(g) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, as well as Section 18 of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015.
In the final count, Umar was further accused of engaging in illegal gold mining activities at streams within the Chaza area of Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State between 2024 and 2026. Prosecutors alleged that the mining operations violated Section 8(b) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act.