•Rejects life jail handed to 3 convicts
By Philip Nwosu and Godwin Tsa, Abuja
The Department of State Services (DSS) has announced plans to appeal the life imprisonment sentences handed to three convicted members of the Ansaru terrorist group over the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Oriire Local Government, Oyo State.
The agency said it was dissatisfied with the judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja, arguing that the punishment did not reflect the gravity of the offences, particularly the killing of two teachers during the attack.
Justice Salim Ibrahim had convicted and sentenced Abdulrazak Umar (alias Abu Khalifa/Abu Khalid), Yunusa Musa (alias Yunusa Bin Musa) and Shamsu Adamu Sani (alias Abu Itisar) after they pleaded guilty to terrorism-related charges brought against them by the DSS.
The three admitted belonging to Darul Salam, an affiliate of the proscribed Ansaru terrorist group, formally known as Jamā’atu Ansāril Muslimīna fī Bilādis Sūdān.
They also pleaded guilty to concealing information relating to the abduction, admitting that the kidnappers — Muhammad Sani, Jibril Mohammed and Ibrahim Khabab — were their associates and that they deliberately withheld intelligence about the planned attack from security agencies.
Abdulrazak Umar further pleaded guilty to additional charges bordering on providing terrorist training, issuing operational instructions and using a WhatsApp group titled The Oneness of Allah is the Foundation of Peace to propagate extremist ideology and incite acts of terrorism.
A DSS operative, identified in court as “Witness AA”, testified that the confessional statements were made voluntarily in the presence of the defendants’ legal representatives. The court admitted the DSS investigation report, which had earlier been forwarded to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, as evidence.
Defence counsel, A.A. Shetima, pleaded for leniency, describing the convicts as first-time offenders with aged parents and dependants. He argued that they did not directly participate in the abduction but merely concealed information relating to it.
However, the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), opposed the plea, insisting that the kidnapping could have been prevented if the defendants had disclosed what they knew. He also told the court that security personnel lost their lives during the rescue operation and urged the judge to impose the maximum punishment as a deterrent.
Justice Ibrahim subsequently sentenced all three men to life imprisonment.
Reacting to the judgment, the DSS maintained that while the convictions represented another milestone in the fight against terrorism, the punishment imposed was inadequate.
According to the agency, the beheading of two teachers during the attack constitutes a capital offence that should attract the death penalty under Nigerian law.
The defendants, all natives of Niger State, were prosecuted on a 10-count charge bordering on terrorism, kidnapping, concealment of information and facilitating terrorist activities, contrary to Section 16(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The prosecution told the court that the defendants knowingly withheld information about terrorist operations, facilitated the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers and used digital communication platforms to coordinate terrorist training and activities.
Justice Ibrahim sentenced the three convicts to life imprisonment on Count Six, while Abdulrazak Umar received additional life sentences on Counts Seven, Nine and Ten.
The DSS said it would challenge the judgment at the Court of Appeal, insisting that the offences committed warranted the maximum punishment prescribed by law.
The development comes days after another Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced two senior Ansaru commanders — Mahmud Muhammad Usman, popularly known as Abu Bara’a, and his deputy, Mahmud al-Nigeri, also known as Mallam Mamuda — to life imprisonment over terrorism-related offences.
