The Federal Government has arraigned five persons accused of involvement in the abduction and beheading of two teachers taken from schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Among those brought before a vacation judge of the Federal High Court in Abuja were two alleged commanders of the Ansaru terrorist group, Abubakar Abba Mahmuda Abu Bara’a and Abubakar Abbas, also known as Mallam Mahmuda Al-Nigeri.
The Department of State Services (DSS), which arrested the duo in August 2025, described the three other defendants as foot soldiers allegedly involved in the Oriire school attack.
Justice Salim Ibrahim fixed 24 September for the commencement of trial and ordered that the defendants be remanded in DSS custody pending further proceedings.
The arraignment follows the conviction of three other individuals who were sentenced to life imprisonment on 23 July for their involvement in the kidnapping of students and teachers at a school in Oriire.
Justice Ibrahim convicted Abdulrazak Umar, also known as Abu Khalifa or Abu Khalid; Yunusa Musa, also known as Yunusa bin Musa; and Shamsu Adamu Sani, also known as Abu Itisar, after they pleaded guilty to some of the charges brought against them by the Federal Government.
The trio were arraigned on a 10-count charge bordering on terrorism, kidnapping, concealment, incitement and illegal mining.
They admitted to concealing information about the masterminds of the school attack and acknowledged membership of Darul Salam, described as an affiliate of Jamaatu Asarul Muslima Fi Bilandis Sudan (Ansaru), a proscribed terrorist organisation in Nigeria.
All three defendants pleaded guilty to counts four and six of the charge. Umar, however, also pleaded guilty to counts seven, eight, nine and ten, which alleged that he provided training and instructions to terrorists through a WhatsApp group titled “The Oneness of Allah is the Foundation of Peace”.
Umar was further accused of engaging in unlawful gold mining activities at streams in the Chaza area of Suleja Local Government Area between 2024 and 2026, contrary to the Miscellaneous Offences Act.
The convicts maintained that they did not directly participate in the Oriire school attack and pleaded not guilty to the remaining counts.
Justice Ibrahim fixed 16 and 17 September for the commencement of trial on the outstanding counts one, two, three and five.
The DSS has indicated its intention to appeal the judgment, arguing that the offences warranted the imposition of the death penalty.
