Five men accused of involvement in the abduction of pupils and teachers from schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State have pleaded not guilty to an amended seven-count terrorism charge before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The defendants were re-arraigned on Thursday, September 17, 2026, by the Department of State Services (DSS) over the May 15 abduction, which involved about 46 pupils and teachers. The prosecution also accused them of complicity in the deaths of two victims.
The defendants are Mahmud Muhammad, also known as Abu Bara’a and Abbas Mukhtar; Abubakar Abbas, also known as Isah Adam and Mallam Mahmuda Al-Nigeri; Abdulrazak Umar, also known as Abu Khalifa and Abu Khalid; **Yunusa Musa, also known as Abu Yunusa Bin Musa; and Shamsu Adamu Sani, also known as Abu Itisar.
The Federal Government, through the DSS, accused the defendants of being members of the proscribed Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan, commonly known as Ansaru.
According to the amended charge, the defendants allegedly participated in a plot that resulted in the abduction of pupils and teachers from Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, and L.A. Primary School in Oriire LGA.
The prosecution further alleged that two of the defendants, Muhammad and Abbas, ordered the other three accused persons to abduct and kill people in different parts of the country in the event of their arrest.
The five defendants were also accused of causing the deaths of Michael Oyedokun and Deacon John Olaleye. The prosecution alleged that Olaleye was decapitated. These remain allegations to be proved in court.
Another count alleges that the defendants had information about an impending terrorist attack and the planned abduction but failed to disclose the information to law enforcement or security agencies.
Three of the defendants Umar, Musa and Sani were separately accused of aiding the alleged abduction.
The charges were brought under provisions of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. Each defendant pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to them.
Following their pleas, the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, who led the DSS legal team, asked the court to allow the trial to commence immediately, stating that the prosecution’s witnesses were available.
Oyedepo also requested protective measures for the witnesses, including allowing them to testify while wearing masks and shielding their identities because of security concerns. Defence counsel, Bala Dakum, did not oppose the request.
Justice Salim Ibrahim granted the application, allowing the witnesses to testify under the requested protective arrangements.
The case follows the May 15 attack on three schools in the Ahoro-Esiele, Yawota and Alawusa communities of Oriire LGA, during which pupils and teachers were abducted.
The remaining abducted victims were later released after 56 days in captivity following a joint security operation. The Federal Government and the military said no ransom was paid for their release.
The latest proceedings are separate from earlier cases involving other suspects linked to the same incident. In July 2026, three defendants connected to the Oriire school abduction were sentenced to life imprisonment after pleading guilty to some terrorism-related offences, while proceedings continued on other counts to which they had pleaded not guilty.
The latest five defendants will now face trial over the amended charges. They remain presumed innocent unless and until the allegations against them are established in court.
