The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced three men linked to the abduction of students and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State to life imprisonment after they pleaded guilty to terrorism-related offences.
Justice Salim Ibrahim delivered the judgment on Thursday, ordering that the life sentences of the three convicts begin from the date of their arrest.
The convicts are Abdulrazak Umar, also known as Abu Khalifa/Abu Khalid, Yunusa Musa (alias Yunusa Bin Musa), and Shamsu Adamu Sani (alias Abu Itisar).
Before sentencing, counsel for the defendants appealed to the court for leniency, arguing that the men were first-time offenders who had admitted to the charges and expressed remorse for their actions.
The defence lawyer also urged the court to consider their family responsibilities, noting that they were married with children and had elderly parents who depended on them.
However, the prosecution maintained that the defendants were aware of terrorist activities and failed to report them to the appropriate authorities.
After the charges were read, the three men pleaded guilty to belonging to a proscribed terrorist group and concealing information relating to the planning and execution of the Oriire abduction.
In addition, Abdulrazak Umar pleaded guilty to four extra charges involving terrorist training, issuing instructions, and inciting members of a terrorist group through religious ideology.
The Department of State Services (DSS) had arraigned the suspects on a 10-count charge bordering on terrorism, kidnapping, concealment of information, and other terrorism-related offences.
According to the prosecution, the three men, who are from Niger State, knowingly withheld information about terrorist activities, participated in kidnapping operations and used a messaging platform to facilitate terrorist training.
Despite the plea for a lighter sentence, the court found the defendants guilty based on their admissions and sentenced them to life imprisonment.
