Convicts pleaded guilty to membership of a proscribed terrorist group and concealing information linked to the Oriire school kidnapping.
The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced three suspects linked to the abduction of students and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State to life imprisonment.
Justice Salim Ibrahim sentenced Abdulrazak Umar, alias Abu Khalifa/Abu Khalid; Yunusa Musa, alias Yunusa Bin Musa; and Shamsu Adamu Sani, alias Abu Itisar, ordering that their sentences take effect from the date of their arrest.
The convicts pleaded guilty to charges bordering on membership of a proscribed terrorist organisation and concealing information relating to the planning and execution of the abduction.
Abdulrazak Umar also pleaded guilty to additional counts involving terrorist training, passing instructions and inciting members of a terror group based on religious ideology.
Defence counsel urged the court to temper justice with mercy, describing the defendants as first-time offenders who had shown remorse. He noted that they were married men with children and aged parents who depended on them.
However, the prosecution argued that the convicts were aware of the activities of terrorists and failed in their civic responsibility to report them to the appropriate authorities.
The Department of State Services (DSS) arraigned the three Niger State indigenes on a 10-count charge bordering on kidnapping, terrorism-related offences and concealment of information.
According to the charges, the defendants knowingly withheld information about individuals linked to terrorist activities, participated in kidnapping and used a messaging platform to facilitate terrorist training.
Meanwhile, The Federal Government charged the suspects under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, on a 10-count charge bordering on terrorism, kidnapping, concealment, incitement and illegal mining.
The case is connected to the May 15 abduction of 46 persons, including 39 pupils and seven teachers, from Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, and L.A. Primary School in the Esiele and Yawota communities of Oriire LGA.
During the attack, Assistant Headmaster of L.A. Primary School, Joel Adesiyan, was killed while attempting to escape, while Mathematics teacher, Michael Oyedokun, was later murdered by his abductors.
The remaining victims regained their freedom on July 10 following an intelligence-led military operation conducted in the Old Oyo National Park. The Nigerian Army announced that 44 pupils and teachers were rescued, while eight suspected gang members were arrested.
The Presidency had disclosed that no ransom was paid and no concessions were granted to the kidnappers, despite their reported demand for ₦1 billion and the release of a detained commander.
Following the rescue, the Federal Government filed charges against the three convicts over their alleged involvement in the abduction and related terrorist activities.
Justice Ibrahim subsequently sentenced the three men to life imprisonment.