By Uzair Adam
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 Orire Local Government Area of Oyo State, as well as terrorism-related offences.
The defendants — 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) — were charged on Friday in a 10-count charge filed by the Federal Government.
The charges stem from the May 15, 2026 attack in which gunmen invaded three schools in Oyo State and abducted several pupils and teachers.
One of the victims, teacher Michael Oyedokun, was killed while in captivity, while the remaining hostages regained their freedom after spending 56 days in the forest during a security operation.
According to the charge sheet, the three suspects, all residents of Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State, allegedly conspired with three other suspects — Muhammad Sani, Jibril Mohammed and Ibrahim Khabab — between January and May 2026 to carry out the kidnapping.
The prosecution further alleged that the defendants aided the abduction by supporting those responsible for the attack and deliberately withheld information about the identities and activities of the alleged masterminds despite having prior knowledge of the plot.
They were also accused of failing to alert security agencies about both the planned kidnapping and those behind it, an offence said to contravene the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
In another count, the Federal Government alleged that the three men professed membership of Darul Salam, described in the charge as an affiliate of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis Sudan (Ansaru), a proscribed terrorist organisation in Nigeria.
The charge further singled out Abdulrazak Umar, accusing him of operating a WhatsApp group titled “The Oneness of Allah is the Foundation of Peace,” through which he allegedly provided training and instructions to terrorists and incited members to commit acts of terrorism.
Umar was also accused of engaging in illegal gold mining activities in streams located in Chaza area of Suleja Local Government Area between 2024 and 2026 without lawful authority.
The offences are said to violate provisions of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015, and the Miscellaneous Offences Act.
