The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced three men linked to the abduction of students and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State to life imprisonment after they pleaded guilty to terrorism-related offences.
Justice Salim Ibrahim decided that the life sentences imposed on Abdulrazak Umar (also known as Abu Khalifa/Abu Khalid), Yunusa Musa (alias Yunusa Bin Musa), and Shamsu Adamu Sani (alias Abu Itisar) will take effect from the date of their arrest.
Before the judgment, counsel to the defendants urged the court to temper justice with mercy, arguing that the convicts were first-time offenders who had admitted to the charges brought against them.
The defence lawyer told the court that their guilty plea demonstrated genuine remorse, adding that the offences they admitted to were not directly connected to the actual kidnapping.
He further appealed for leniency, noting that the three men are married with children and also have elderly parents who depend on them for support.
According to him, they deserved a second chance to rebuild their lives.
The prosecution, however, opposed the request, arguing that the defendants were fully aware of the activities of terrorists and failed in their civic duty to alert security agencies.
The prosecution maintained that, as Nigerians, they ought to have reported the planned criminal activities instead of concealing them.
During the proceedings, the defendants pleaded guilty to belonging to a proscribed terrorist organisation.
They also admitted to concealing information relating to the planning and execution of the abduction.
The first defendant, Abdulrazak Umar, additionally pleaded guilty to four separate counts relating to terrorist training, passing instructions and inciting members of the terror group through a particular religious ideology.
The Department of State Services (DSS), which prosecuted the case, had arraigned the three Niger State natives on a 10-count charge bordering on terrorism, kidnapping and concealment of information.
According to the charge, the defendants knowingly withheld intelligence about individuals involved in terrorist activities, participated in kidnapping operations and used a messaging platform to coordinate and facilitate terrorist training.
