The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced three men convicted in connection with the abduction of students and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State to life imprisonment.
Justice Salim Ibrahim ordered that the life sentences imposed on Abdulrazak Umar, also known as Abu Khalifa/Abu Khalid, Yunusa Musa (Yunusa Bin Musa), and Shamsu Adamu Sani (Abu Itisar) should take effect from the date of their arrest.
Before sentencing, defence counsel urged the court to temper justice with mercy, arguing that the convicts were first-time offenders who had pleaded guilty and shown remorse for their actions.
The lawyer further submitted that the offences to which they pleaded guilty were not directly related to the kidnapping itself. He also appealed to the court to consider that the convicts were married with children and had elderly parents who depended on them.
He urged the court to give them a second chance by imposing lighter sentences.
The prosecution, however, argued that the convicts knowingly concealed information about terrorist activities and failed in their civic responsibility to alert security agencies.
According to the prosecution, they were aware of the activities of individuals involved in terrorism and should have reported them to the appropriate authorities.
When the charges were read, the three defendants pleaded guilty to membership of a proscribed terrorist organisation and to concealing information relating to the planning and execution of the abduction.
The first defendant, Umar, also pleaded guilty to additional charges of providing training and instructions to members of a terrorist group, as well as inciting terrorism through the dissemination of extremist religious ideology.
The trio had been arraigned by the Department of State Services on a 10-count charge bordering on terrorism, kidnapping, concealment of information and related offences.
According to the prosecution, the defendants, all from Niger State, knowingly withheld information about suspected terrorists, participated in activities connected with the kidnapping, and used a messaging platform to facilitate terrorist training and indoctrination.
After considering the guilty pleas and submissions from both parties, Justice Ibrahim sentenced the three convicts to life imprisonment, with the terms commencing from the date of their arrest.
