“Federal High Court Abuja sentences suspects in Oriire abduction to life imprisonment.
Three suspects were sentenced for their roles in the abduction of students and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The convicts were found guilty of hiding knowledge of the masterminds of the attack after confessing to the charges brought against them by the Federal Government.
The three defendants had earlier pleaded guilty during proceedings before Justice Salem Ibrahim of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
They were also accused of being members of Darul Salam, which authorities said was an affiliate of Ansaru, a banned terrorist organisation in Nigeria.
The defendants during their arraignment confessed to have failed to disclose information concerning those alleged to have masterminded the kidnapping in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Their guilty pleas made it possible for the court to convict them on the charges.
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Later, the court sentenced the three convicts to life imprisonment for their role in the incident.
The first and third defendants, Abdulrazak Umar and Shamsudin Adamu, also admitted giving training and instructions to members of a WhatsApp group.
The group, called “The Oneness of Allah is the Foundation of Peace,” was allegedly used to incite members to commit acts of terrorism, according to the prosecution.
Umar and Adamu pleaded guilty to the charges in court.
The defendants had also pleaded guilty to being members of Darul Salam, which was described in the charges as an affiliate of the proscribed terrorist organisation Ansaru.
Umar also admitted a second charge of engaging in gold mining without lawful authorisation.
He was accused by the prosecution of illegally mining gold at streams in the Chaza area of Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State.
