FG Arraigns Three Over Oyo School Kidnap, Terrorism, Illegal Mining Charges

The Federal Government has arraigned three men before the Federal High Court in Abuja over their alleged involvement in the abduction of pupils and teachers from schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

The suspects — Abdulrazak Umar, also known as Abu Khalifa or Abu Khalid; Yunusa Musa, also known as Yunusa bin Musa; and Shamsu Adamu Sani, alias Abu Itisar — are facing a 10-count charge bordering on terrorism, kidnapping, concealment of terrorism, incitement, cybercrime and illegal mining.

According to the charge sheet filed on Friday, all three defendants are natives of Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State.

The prosecution alleged that between January and May 2026, the defendants conspired with three other suspects identified as Muhammad Sani, Jibril Mohammed and Ibrahim Khabab to orchestrate the mass abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State.

The Federal Government maintained that the alleged conspiracy contravenes Section 26(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

In the second and third counts, the prosecution accused the trio of actively assisting the three alleged masterminds in carrying out the kidnapping, offences said to be punishable under Section 26(2) of the same Act.

The defendants were also accused of concealing information about the alleged terrorists. According to the charges, they knowingly withheld the identities of Muhammad Sani, Jibril Mohammed and Ibrahim Khabab, despite allegedly being aware of both their involvement and the planned abduction, without reporting the information to security agencies.

The concealment charges were brought under Section 16(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act.

In a separate count, the Federal Government accused the three men of professing membership of Darul Salam, described in the charge sheet as an affiliate of Jamaatu Asarul Muslima Fi Bilandis Sudan (Ansaru), a terrorist organisation that has been proscribed in Nigeria.

The alleged offence was said to have been committed on or about June 2, in violation of Section 25(1) of the Terrorism Act.

Three additional charges were filed exclusively against Abdulrazak Umar.

The prosecution alleged that Umar used a WhatsApp platform named “The Oneness of Allah is the Foundation of Peace” in July to provide ideological training and instruction to terrorist elements, contrary to Sections 15 and 2(2)(g) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act.

He was further accused of using sermons delivered through the same WhatsApp group to encourage and incite members to engage in acts of terrorism, an offence said to contravene Section 18 of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015.

The final count accused Umar of engaging in illegal gold mining activities at streams located in the Chaza area of Suleja, Niger State, between 2024 and 2026, without lawful authority, contrary to Section 8(b) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act.

The charges stem from the May 15 attack on Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, and L.A. Primary School in the Esiele and Yawota communities of Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

Earlier official reports indicated that 46 victims — comprising 39 pupils and seven teachers — were abducted during the raid.

The attack claimed the lives of two victims. Assistant Headmaster of L.A. Primary School, Joel Adesiyan, was reportedly killed while attempting to escape during the invasion, while Mathematics teacher Michael Oyedokun was beheaded by his captors during the 56 days the victims remained in captivity.

The abducted pupils and teachers eventually regained their freedom on July 10 following what the Nigerian military described as an intelligence-led operation targeting the kidnappers’ hideouts inside the Old Oyo National Park.

Following the rescue, the Nigerian Army disclosed that 44 pupils and teachers were freed, while eight suspected members of the kidnapping gang were arrested during the operation.

The Presidency also maintained that no ransom was paid and no concessions were made to secure the victims’ release, despite reports that the kidnappers had demanded ₦1 billion and the release of one of their detained commanders.