The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced three men involved in the kidnapping of students and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State to life imprisonment.
The convicts, identified as Abdulrazak Umar, also known as Abu Khalifa or Abu Khalid; Yunusa Musa, also known as Yunusa Bin Musa; and Shamsu Adamu Sani, also known as Abu Itisar, were found guilty by the court.
Justice Salim Ibrahim ruled that their life sentences would take effect from the date they were arrested.
Before the judgment was delivered, the defence lawyer appealed to the court to show leniency, arguing that the three men were first-time offenders who had pleaded guilty to the charges.
Despite the plea for a lighter sentence, the court imposed life imprisonment on all three convicts.
Ibrahim pointed out that this showed that they were remorseful of their actions, and all the counts they were charged with are not related to the kidnapping.
He added that the convicts were married men who have children and have aged parents who are dependent on them. He pleaded with the court to give them a second chance at life and sentence them on liberal terms.
Counsel for the prosecution, however, pointed out that the convicts were aware of the people on the battlefield, and as true Nigerians, they should have reported it to the authorities.
After the charges were read to them, they pleaded guilty to membership of a proscribed terrorist group.
At their arraignment on alleged terrorism at the Federal High Court, Abuja, the three defendants also pleaded guilty to concealing information on the planning and execution of the abduction.
However, only the first accused person, Abdulrazak Umar, alias Abu Khalifa/Abu Khalid, pleaded guilty to counts 7, 8, 9 and 10, which bordered on training and passing instructions and inciting terror group members on a particular religious ideology.
The three accused persons were on trial by DSS on a 10-count charge bordering on kidnapping, concealment of information, and terrorism-related offences.
According to the charges, the defendants, all from Niger State, are accused of knowingly withholding information about individuals linked to terrorist activities, participating in kidnapping, and using a messaging platform to facilitate terrorist training.
