Oriire kidnap: Five defendants plead not guilty to 7-count terrorism charges
Five Men Re-Arraigned in Connection with Oyo Kidnapping Incident
The Department of State Services (DSS) on Thursday re-arraigned five individuals charged with involvement in the kidnapping of pupils and teachers from Oriire Local Government Area in Oyo State on May 15. The incident resulted in the deaths of two victims.
The defendants faced a seven-count amended charge, designated FHC/ABJ/CR/438/2026, which was filed by the DSS on behalf of the Federal Government. They are alleged members of the Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan (ANSARU) terrorist organization.
The accused are identified as Mahmud Muhammad (also known as Abu Bara’a, Abbas Mukhtar), Abubakar Abbas (alternately Isah Adam, Mallam Mahmuda Al-Nigeri), Abdulrazak Umar (aka Abu Khalifa/Abu Khalid), Yunusa Musa (also known as Abu Yunusa Bin Musa), and Shamsu Adamu Sani (aka Abu Itisar).
During the court proceedings, all five men pleaded not guilty to the charges as read by the court registrar.
Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, representing the DSS legal team, requested that the trial commence immediately under the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act of 2015. He also sought measures to protect the identities of witnesses, including allowing them to wear masks during their testimony.
Justice Salim Ibrahim granted these requests, as there were no objections raised by the defendants’ counsel, Bala Dakum.
As of the latest update, preparations for the trial are underway. Further details will be reported as the situation develops.
