The Federal Government has arraigned three suspects arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) over the recent kidnapping of schoolchildren and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The defendants are 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.
They were arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja on a 10-count charge bordering on terrorism, kidnapping, concealment of information, incitement and illegal mining.
The Federal Government had filed the charges against the trio last week following their arrest in connection with the abduction.
According to the charge, the defendants, who are all from Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State, allegedly conspired with Muhammad Sani, Jibril Mohammed and Ibrahim Khabab between January and May 2026 to kidnap schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State.
The alleged offence was said to be contrary to Section 26(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The prosecution further alleged that the defendants aided the kidnapping and deliberately withheld information relating to the identities and activities of the alleged masterminds despite having knowledge of the plot.
Those allegations were brought under Sections 26(2) and 16(1) of the Terrorism Act.
The charge sheet also alleged that the three defendants, on or about June 2, 2026, professed membership of Darul Salam.
The group was described by the prosecution as an affiliate of Jamaatu Asarul Muslima Fi Bilandis Sudan, otherwise known as Ansaru, a proscribed terrorist organisation in Nigeria.
