The Department of State Services (DSS) has secured the conviction of three members of the proscribed Darul Salam terrorist group, who were sentenced to life imprisonment for their links to the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Orire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Justice Salim Ibrahim of the Federal High Court, Abuja, handed down the life sentences after the three convicts pleaded guilty to terrorism-related charges, including membership of a banned terrorist organisation and concealing information about the kidnapping.
The convicts are Abdulrazak Umar, also known as Abu Khalifa or Abu Khalid; Yunusa Musa, alias Yunusa Bin Musa; and Shamsu Adamu Sani, alias Abu Itisar.
The court heard that the trio admitted belonging to Darul Salam, an affiliate of the proscribed terrorist group Ansaru (Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis Sudan).
They also confessed that they had prior knowledge of the abduction of the Orire schoolchildren and teachers by their associates but deliberately failed to report the information to security agencies.
Although they were arraigned on a 10-count charge bordering on terrorism, conspiracy, aiding kidnapping and concealment of information, they pleaded guilty to key counts relating to membership of a terrorist organisation and withholding intelligence on the kidnapping.
The first defendant, Abdulrazak Umar, further admitted to additional charges of training terrorists, spreading extremist ideology through a WhatsApp group and inciting members to embrace violent extremism.
A DSS operative, identified in court as Witness AA, told the court that the defendants voluntarily made confessional statements in the presence of their lawyers during investigation.
The prosecution also tendered investigation reports forwarded to the Attorney-General of the Federation, which were admitted as evidence.
Counsel to the convicts, A.A. Shetima, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy, describing his clients as first-time offenders with aged parents, wives and children who depend on them.
He argued that they did not directly participate in the kidnapping but only failed to disclose information about it.
However, the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, urged the court to impose the maximum sentence, arguing that the kidnapping could have been prevented if the defendants had alerted security agencies in time.
He also told the court that security personnel lost their lives during efforts to rescue the abducted pupils and teachers, stressing that a stiff sentence would serve as a warning to other terrorists and their collaborators.
Justice Ibrahim agreed with the prosecution and sentenced all three defendants to life imprisonment.
The charges against the convicts included conspiracy to aid the kidnapping of schoolchildren and teachers, concealing information about terrorists, membership of a proscribed terrorist group, training terrorists, promoting extremist ideology online and engaging in illegal mining activities.
