Five men accused of involvement in the abduction of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State have pleaded not guilty to seven terrorism-related charges before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The defendants were re-arraigned on Thursday by the Department of State Services (DSS) on an amended seven-count charge filed on behalf of the Federal Government.
The case relates to the May 15, 2026, attack in which pupils and teachers were abducted from schools in Oriire. The prosecution also alleges that two of the victims were killed.
Defendants Deny Charges
The accused persons 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.
The Federal Government alleges that the defendants are members of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan, commonly known as Ansaru.
However, all five defendants denied the allegations when the charges were read to them in court.
Prosecution Seeks Immediate Trial
The Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, led the prosecution team.
He asked Justice Salim Ibrahim to allow the trial to commence immediately in accordance with the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.
Oyedepo also requested special protection for prosecution witnesses.
He asked the court to keep their identities confidential and permit them to testify while wearing masks because of security concerns.
Counsel to the defendants, Bala Dakum, did not oppose the application.
Justice Ibrahim subsequently granted the prosecution’s requests.
What the Prosecution Alleges
According to the amended charges, the prosecution alleges that some of the defendants planned or facilitated the abduction of about 46 pupils and teachers from three schools in Oriire.
The charges also contain allegations relating to the deaths of two victims, identified as Michael Oyedokun and Deacon John Olaleye.
Other allegations include conspiracy to abduct the victims, aiding the alleged kidnapping and failure to disclose information about an imminent terrorist act to security agencies.
The allegations have not been proved against the defendants, who have pleaded not guilty.
Trial Gets Underway
The case has now proceeded to trial, with a prosecution witness identified only as “AAA” giving evidence under a witness-protection arrangement.
The witness, a teacher who survived the attack, told the court that armed men invaded the schools on May 15 and took pupils and teachers into captivity.
She said the victims spent 56 days in captivity before their rescue.
The court is expected to continue hearing evidence as the prosecution presents its case.
