Ansaru Members Deny Guilt Over Oyo School Abduction in Abuja Court

On Thursday, the Department of State Services (DSS) brought fresh charges against five individuals suspected to be members of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan, commonly known as Ansaru. These individuals face allegations regarding the kidn*pping of approximately 46 students and educators within Oyo State’s Oriire Local Government Area. The suspects, identified as Mahmud Muhammad (also known as Abu Bara’a/Abbas Mukhtar), Abubakar Abbas (alias Isah Adam/Mallam Mahmuda Al-Nigeri), Abdulrazak Umar (alias Abu Khalifa/Abu Khalid), Yunusa Musa (alias Abu Yunusa Bin Musa), and Shamsu Adamu Sani (alias Abu Itisar), appeared before the Federal High Court in Abuja to answer to a seven-count amended charge, referenced FHC/ABJ/CR/438/2026.

The Federal Government, represented by the DSS, has leveled several terr*rism-related accusations against the defendants. These include conspiring to abduct around 46 individuals, facilitating the kidn*pping of schoolchildren and teachers, withholding crucial intelligence about an impending terr*rist act, and being responsible for the demise of two victims. The victims named in the charge sheet are Michael Oyedokun and Deacon John Olaleye.

According to the first count, the prosecution claims that Muhammad and Abbas instructed the remaining three defendants, who were described as "foot soldiers" within Ansaru, “to kidn*p and kill innocent Nigerians (Victims) in different parts of Nigeria in the event of your arrest by the Nigerian government, to compel the government to accede to your demands.” This alleged directive, as per the charge, reportedly culminated in the kidn*pping of approximately 46 students and teachers from Oriire’s Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery/Primary School, and L.A. Primary School.

Count two specifically states: “That you… sometime between 2025 and 2026 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, committed an act of terr*rism when you caused the death of Deacon John Olaleye, by decapitating him. You thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 2 (3) (g) of the Terr*rism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and punishable under Section 24(2) of the same Act.”

Furthermore, the defendants face accusations of neglecting to report intelligence concerning an impending terr*rist operation and the intended kidn*pping of victims to relevant law enforcement or security bodies. Count five details the Federal Government’s claim that the defendants colluded with three other suspects—Muhammed Sani, Jibril Mohammed, and Ibrahim Khabab—alongside others yet to be apprehended, to kidn*p about 46 individuals, including students and teachers, in Oriire.

Umar, Musa, and Sani, three of the accused, were individually charged with assisting in the alleged abduction. Meanwhile, Muhammad and Abbas are cited in count seven for deliberately withholding information regarding the planned terr*rist assault, which purportedly led to the May 15, 2026 abduction and subsequent deaths of Oyedokun and Olaleye.

These alleged crimes are in violation of multiple sections of the Terr*rism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. Upon the court registrar reading the seven charges, all five defendants entered a plea of not guilty.

Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation and head of the DSS legal team, then requested the immediate commencement of the trial, consistent with the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015. Oyedepo further appealed to the court to grant protection to prosecution witnesses by permitting them to testify anonymously, wearing masks, due to safety concerns.

Bala Dakum, representing the defendants, did not object to this application. Consequently, Justice Salim Ibrahim approved the prosecution's plea. The court has since begun making preparations for the comprehensive trial of the accused. The case has been adjourned to Friday, September 18th, for the next hearing.