Nigerian government charges three men with terrorism over abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo

The Nigerian government has charged three men with 10 counts of terrorism. This is linked to the abduction of pupils and teachers on 15 May in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

The suspects are Abdulrazak Umar, also called Abu Khalifa/Abu Khalid, Yunusa Musa, also known as Yunusa bin Musa, and Shamsu Adamu Sani, also known as Abu Itisar. The charges were filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday.

The Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation filed the charges. They include terrorism, conspiracy, aiding kidnapping, and hiding terrorist activities. The charges also include membership in a banned terrorist group, incitement to terrorism, providing terrorist training, cyber offences, and illegal mining.

The prosecution claims the three men are from Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State. They allegedly worked with Muhammad Sani, Jibril Mohammed, and Ibrahim Khabab, who are still at large, to kidnap the pupils and teachers between January and May.

The prosecution further claims that they helped with the abduction and hid information about who was behind the kidnapping, even though they knew about the plan.

The charges also say the three men are members of Darul Salam, which is linked to Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis Sudan (Ansaru), a banned terrorist group in Nigeria.

There are separate accusations against Abdulrazak Umar. The prosecution says he trained terrorists and incited them to commit acts of terrorism through a WhatsApp group named The Oneness of Allah is the Foundation of Peace.

It is not clear if the three men charged on Friday were among the eight men arrested during the rescue operation.

These charges come just a week after Nigerian military and other security forces rescued 44 schoolchildren and teachers taken by kidnappers in Yawota and Ahoro-Esinele in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

The rescue ended the 56-day captivity of the victims, who were taken on 15 May. Two of the three teachers taken were killed while in captivity. One of them, Michael Oyedokun, was beheaded shortly after the abduction. The other teacher, a pastor named John Olaleye, was also killed.

Three security personnel died during the rescue operation in separate gun battles with the kidnappers. They were Lieutenant F. A. Isaac of the Nigerian Army, Private Silas Musa of the 81 Battalion, and Sergeant Abena John Jerome of the Nigeria Police Force.

After the successful rescue, President Bola Tinubu said some of the kidnappers were killed and at least eight of them were arrested. But it is unclear if the suspects charged are among those arrested.

In the first count, the prosecution claims the three men plotted with Muhammad Sani, Jibril Mohammed, and Ibrahim Khabab to kidnap schoolchildren and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area between January and May. This goes against Section 26(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

Counts two and three say they helped the other three men carry out the abduction, violating Section 26(2) of the Act. The fourth count claims the defendants hid information about the identities and activities of the alleged masterminds, despite knowing they were involved in the kidnapping.

Count five says they did not report information they had about the planned abduction to security agencies to help arrest the suspects. Count six claims the three men are members of Darul Salam, linked to the banned group Ansaru, against Section 25(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

Counts seven and eight only relate to Abdulrazak Umar. The prosecution says he trained terrorists through the WhatsApp group titled The Oneness of Allah is the Foundation of Peace, against Sections 15 and 2(2)(g) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

In count nine, the prosecution accuses Umar of using the same WhatsApp group to incite acts of terrorism, against Section 18 of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015. The final count accuses Umar of illegally mining gold in streams in Suleja Local Government Area between 2024 and 2026, against Section 8(b) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act.

Reports say gunmen took 39 pupils and six teachers from two primary schools and one secondary school in Oriire Local Government Area on 15 May. One teacher died during the attack.

This incident led to a joint operation by security agencies after President Bola Tinubu ordered them to secure the victims’ release. After 56 days in captivity, the Presidency announced on 10 July that all abducted pupils and teachers had been rescued.

Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga said the rescue was part of a coordinated security operation that also led to the arrest of eight suspected kidnappers.