The Federal Government has brought criminal charges against three men over their alleged roles in the abduction of pupils and teachers from schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The 10-count charge, filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja, accuses 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) of terrorism-related offences, kidnapping, concealment of information, incitement and illegal mining.
According to the charge sheet, the defendants, who are all from Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State, allegedly conspired with Muhammad Sani, Jibril Mohammed and Ibrahim Khabab between January and May 2026 to orchestrate the abduction of schoolchildren and their teachers in Oriire.
The government further alleged that the three suspects assisted in carrying out the kidnappings and deliberately concealed information about the identities and activities of the alleged masterminds despite being aware of the plot.
They were also accused of failing to alert security agencies to information relating to the planned attack, an offence said to violate provisions of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
In another count, the Federal Government alleged that on or about June 2, 2026, the defendants declared themselves members of Darul Salam, which the charge described as an affiliate of Jamaatu Asarul Muslima Fi Bilandis Sudan (Ansaru), a terrorist group banned in Nigeria.
The charge also singled out Umar, accusing him of using a WhatsApp group known as ‘The Oneness of Allah is the Foundation of Peace’ to provide guidance and instructions to suspected terrorists.
Prosecutors alleged that he used the platform to encourage members to engage in terrorist activities, an offence said to contravene both the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015.
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Umar was further accused of engaging in illegal gold mining in streams within the Chaza area of Suleja LGA between 2024 and 2026 without the required authorisation, contrary to the Miscellaneous Offences Act.
A security source disclosed that the suspects are expected to be arraigned next week after the completion of investigations.
“Others are still being probed as the agency is insistent on diligent investigation,” the source said.
Gunmen had attacked three schools in Oriire LGA on May 15, abducting 39 pupils and seven teachers, including a school principal, while two people were killed during the assault.
A few days later, one of the kidnapped teachers, Michael Oyedokun, was killed by the abductors while in captivity.
On July 10, the Federal Government announced that all the remaining abductees had been rescued during a joint security operation.