Court Hears Al-Qaeda Backed Oriire Kidn*pping Plot

A Federal High Court in Abuja received testimony on Monday, detailing how the international terr*rist organization, Al-Qaeda, allegedly supported members of the proscribed Jama'atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan (ANSARU) group in orchestrating the May 15 attacks on schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State. The court was further informed that the primary objective of these attacks was to compel the Federal Government to release their leaders, who had been apprehended and were facing prosecution by the Department of State Services (DSS).

Prosecution witness 'BBB', a DSS operative and the second witness in the ongoing trial, informed the court that following the abduction of students and teachers during the attacks, the terr*rists submitted a list of 30 names, comprising their leaders and members, to the Federal Government. They issued a stern warning that failure to release these individuals would result in the killing of the hostages.

The trial involves five individuals accused of complicity in the Oriire attacks. They are identified as Mahmud Muhammad (also known as Abu Bara’a, Abbas Mukhtar), Abubakar Abbas (aka Isah Adam, Mallam Mahmuda Al-Nigeri), Abdulrazak Umar (aka Abu Khalifa/Abu Khalid), Yunusa Musa (aka Abu Yunusa Bin Musa), and Shamsu Adamu Sani (aka Abu Itisar). The prosecution stated that the defendants hail from Okene Local Government Area (LGA) in Kogi State, Daura LGA in Katsina State, and Suleja LGA in Niger State.

Led in evidence by Oyedepo Rotimi (SAN), the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), 'BBB' explained that the successful rescue operation by security agents, which freed the kidn*p victims, was a direct consequence of the Federal Government's refusal to negotiate with the terr*rists or accede to their demands.

The witness testified that he became familiar with the five defendants through his official duties. He specifically identified Mahmud Muhammad, the first defendant, as one of the founding members of Boko Haram in Maiduguri, where he previously served as the group’s Head of Security and Intelligence. Muhammad, whose father is from Okene, Kogi State, and mother from Borno State, reportedly left Boko Haram in 2012 to establish the ANSARU group. This new faction aimed to propagate an ideology of establishing Islamic governance in Nigeria and targeting foreign nationals.

According to 'BBB', ANSARU members believed that foreign nationals were responsible for the deaths of their Muslim brethren abroad, which informed their decision to kidn*p and kill foreigners. He recalled that the group's killing of seven foreigners in 2014 led the United States to designate ANSARU as a proscribed terr*rist organization and declare Muhammad a globally wanted terr*rist.

'BBB' further stated that Muhammad assumed leadership of ANSARU and subsequently led numerous kidn*pping and killing operations, appointing Abubakar Abbas, the second defendant, as the Head of Operations. The witness quoted: “He (Mahmud Mohammed) led the attack on the Emir of Potiskum. 17 military officers and three civilians were also killed in one of the operations he carried out.”

He continued, stating: "He was arrested in 2025. It is part of their ideology that once any of their leaders are arrested, they will do anything to ensure their release." He added that: "When Abu Bara’a (Muhammad) became the leader of ANSARU, he made the second defendant the head of operations." And: "When the first defendant was arrested, the second defendant identified high-profile operations to be carried out to ensure that he is released."

'BBB' recounted another incident: "On November 4, 2025, they attacked the convoy of a House of Representatives member,” Jafaru Mohammed Ali, representing Agwara/Borgu, killing four military personnel and injuring four DSS personnel. "The reason for the attack was to kidn*p him and negotiate for the release of the leaders, among whom are the first and second defendants." Their strategy, he explained, was: "Their plan was to kidn*p him, humiliate him publicly, and demand that the FG release the first and second defendants who were in custody. They also planned to attack Wawa Military Base in New Busa, Niger State, because they thought their members were being kept there.”

When the attack on Wawa failed, the witness noted that: "members of ANSARU strategically relocated to the South West, where they believed there were media houses to help amplify their demands to make the FG agree to the release of the first and second defendants and other of their members being held by the state.”

'BBB', who confirmed his involvement in the investigation of the Oriire attacks, stated: “The attacks were carried out by members of the ANSARU group. When they carried out the attack, they moved the victims to a secured location in a forest close to Old Oyo National Park.” He reiterated: "They made a demand and submitted a list of 30 members, including their leaders, to the government, warning that if their demands were not met, they would kill the victims." He concluded by describing the terr*rists as "very hostile."

[The original article was truncated at this point.]