The Federal High Court in Abuja has heard that international terrorist organisation Al-Qaeda allegedly supported members of the proscribed Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan (ANSARU) in carrying out the May 15 attacks on schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The court also heard that the attacks were allegedly intended to compel the Federal Government to release detained leaders and members of the group.
A prosecution witness, identified as ‘BBB’, told Justice Salim Ibrahim that after abducting students and teachers during the attacks, the terrorists submitted a list containing 30 names of their leaders and members to the Federal Government, demanding their release or threatening to kill the victims.
BBB testified as the second prosecution witness in the trial of five alleged ANSARU members accused of involvement in the attacks.
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.
According to the prosecution, the defendants are from Okene Local Government Area of Kogi State, Daura Local Government Area of Katsina State and Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State.
Led in evidence by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, the witness said the security operation that led to the victims’ rescue followed the Federal Government’s refusal to negotiate with the group or accede to its demands.
BBB said he knew the five defendants through his official duties, particularly Muhammad, whom he knew in Maiduguri as one of the founding members of Boko Haram and a former head of its security and intelligence operations.
He told the court that Muhammad, whose father is from Okene in Kogi State and mother from Borno State, was among those who left Boko Haram in 2012 to form ANSARU.
According to the witness, the group sought to establish Islamic governance in Nigeria and targeted foreign nationals because its members believed foreigners were killing Muslims abroad.
He recalled that the group’s killing of seven foreign nationals in 2014 led the United States to designate ANSARU a terrorist organisation and declare Muhammad a globally wanted terrorist.
BBB alleged that Muhammad led several kidnapping and killing operations after becoming ANSARU’s leader, while the second defendant, Abbas, served as head of operations.
“He (Mahmud Muhammad) led the attack on the Emir of Potiskum. Seventeen military officers and three civilians were also killed in one of the operations he carried out,” the witness said.
He told the court that Muhammad was arrested in 2025 and alleged that the group’s ideology required members to do whatever was necessary to secure the release of detained leaders.
“When the first defendant was arrested, the second defendant identified high-profile operations to be carried out to ensure that he is released,” BBB said.
The witness alleged that on November 4, 2025, ANSARU members attacked the convoy of Jafaru Mohammed Ali, a member of the House of Representatives representing Agwara/Borgu, killing four military personnel and injuring four Department of State Services personnel.
According to him, the group intended to kidnap the lawmaker, humiliate him publicly and use the incident to negotiate the release of detained members, including the first and second defendants.
BBB further alleged that the group planned to attack the Wawa military base in New Bussa, Niger State, because its members believed detainees were being held there.
He said that after the attempted attack failed, ANSARU members relocated to the South-West, where they believed media coverage would amplify their demands for the release of their leaders and other detained members.
The witness, who said he participated in the investigation into the Oriire attacks, alleged that ANSARU members carried out the operation and moved their victims to a secure location in a forest near the Old Oyo National Park.
BBB told the court that the group submitted a list of 30 members, including its leaders, to the Federal Government and threatened to kill the abductees if its demands were not met.
“The attacks were carried out by members of the ANSARU group. When they carried out the attack, they moved the victims to a secured location in a forest close to Old Oyo National Park.
“They made a demand and submitted a list of 30 members, including their leaders, to the government, warning that if their demands were not met, they would kill the victims,” he said.
The witness alleged that the abductors were hostile towards security operatives and attacked them when they launched an offensive in the forest.
He added that the attackers killed one of the victims and threatened to kill others if security agencies attempted a rescue.
According to BBB, security operatives eventually launched the rescue operation after two victims had been killed, citing the group’s alleged history of indiscriminate killings.
Explaining how he knew the third, fourth and fifth defendants, the witness said they were ANSARU members who communicated with some of the group’s commanders, particularly the commander responsible for holding the Oriire victims.
He alleged that the defendants acted in furtherance of an ideology established by the group’s leaders, under which members were expected to carry out attacks to force the Federal Government to release detained senior members.
BBB said the government refused to negotiate with the group, but security agencies eventually secured the release of the remaining victims.
He added that security personnel were killed during the rescue operation, including a senior police officer and an Army officer.
Proceedings in the case are expected to continue on Tuesday.
