Trial has commenced in the case of five men accused of complicity in the May 15 kidnapping of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, with the prosecution calling its first witness.
The witness was called after the five defendants pleaded not guilty to an amended seven-count charge bordering on terrorism, kidnapping and the killing of two victims, following their re-arraignment before Justice Salim Ibrahim.
The defendants are Mahmud Muhammad, also known as Abu Bara’a and Abbas Mukhtar; Abubakar Abbas, also known as Isah Adam and Mallam Mahmuda Al-Nigeri; Abdulrazak Umar, also known as Abu Khalifa and Abu Khalid; Yunusa Musa, also known as Abu Yunusa Bin Musa; and Shamsu Adamu Sani, also known as Abu Itisar.
All defendants, who are alleged to be members of the proscribed Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan (ANSARU) terrorist group, are being prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS), in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Justice.
The prosecution accused the defendants of offences including conspiracy, aiding the commission of terrorist acts, kidnapping, killing and failure to disclose information about an impending act of terrorism.
According to the The offences were said to contravene various provisions of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Giving evidence on Thursday, the witness, one of the victims whose identity was protected, told the court that she and other captives spent 56 days in the forest under harsh conditions.
The female witness, labelled “AAA” and led in evidence by the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), said they were compelled to relocate barefoot to six different locations in the forest for 56 days.
The witness said the terrorists invaded their schools on May 15 on 12 motorcycles, shooting sporadically before taking about 46 pupils and teachers into the forest.
She said the captors later killed two of the victims, Deacon John Olaleye and Michael Oyedokun, by beheading them in an attempt to pressure the government to release detained members of their group.
According to her, the captives were initially fed rice, salt and palm oil, but were later given only rice and palm oil.
The witness added: “At the initial stage, we were being fed with rice, salt and palm oil. But, when the salt finished, they resorted to feeding us with rice and palm oil. Then later, it was only white rice.”
She added that they were forced to drink dirty water and had no opportunity to bathe or wash their clothes throughout their captivity.
The witness said the captives were eventually rescued by security agents after being taken to the sixth location, which she called “Camp Six.”
At the conclusion of her evidence, Justice Ibrahim adjourned the case until Friday for the defence counsel, Bala Dakum, to cross-examine the witness.