The Federal Government on Friday, July 17, formally charged three Northerners from Niger State in connection with the kidnapping of children and teachers in the Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The individuals brought before the court are Abdulrazak Umar (also known as Abu Khalifa/Abu Khalid), Yunusa Musa (also known as Yunusa bin Musa) and Shamsu Adamu Sani (also known as Abu Itisar).
The 10-count indictment presented at the Federal High Court in Abuja involved charges related to terrorism, kidnapping, concealment, incitement, and illegal mining.
The accused, all from the Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State, are accused of collaborating with Muhammad Sani, Jibril Mohammed, and Ibrahim Khabab between January and May 2026 to kidnap students and teachers in Oyo State, violating Section 26(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The charges, filed by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, border on terrorism, conspiracy, aiding kidnapping, concealment of terrorist activities, membership of a proscribed terrorist organisation, incitement to terrorism, provision of terrorist training, cyber-related offences and unlawful mining.
The Federal Government further accused the defendants of aiding the principal suspects in carrying out the abduction, an offence punishable under Section 26(3) of the same Act.
The charge also alleged that the trio deliberately concealed information about the identities and activities of the alleged masterminds despite having prior knowledge of their terrorist activities and the planned kidnapping.
According to the prosecution, the suspects failed to report the information to relevant security agencies, thereby violating Section 16(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The defendants were also accused of concealing information that could have assisted security agencies in preventing the kidnapping or facilitating the arrest of those responsible.
In another count, the prosecution alleged that on or about June 2, 2026, the three defendants professed membership of Darul Salam, described in the charge sheet as an affiliate of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis Sudan (Ansaru), a proscribed terrorist organisation in Nigeria.
The Federal Government maintained that such membership constitutes an offence under Section 25(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act.
