Nigeria's Department of State Services opened the trial of five suspected members of the Islamist group Ansaru on Thursday before Federal High Court J
Nigeria’s Department of State Services opened the trial of five suspected members of the Islamist group Ansaru on Thursday before Federal High Court Judge Salim Ibrahim in Abuja.
The defendants, Mahmud Muhammad (also known as Abu Bara’a), Abubakar Abbas (also known as Isah Adam), Abdulrazak Umar (also known as Abu Khalifa), Yunusa Musa (also known as Abu Yunusa Bin Musa), and Shamsu Adamu Sani (also known as Abu Itisar), pleaded not guilty to a seven-count amended charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/438/2026.
Prosecutors allege two of the men, Muhammad and Abbas, instructed the others to kidnap and kill people around the country if the group’s leaders were ever arrested by the Nigerian government, and that they orchestrated the abduction of students and teachers from Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery/Primary School, and L.A. Primary School in Oyo State’s Orire Local Government Area.
The abduction happened on May 15, when gunmen stormed the schools, firing shots before taking seven teachers and 39 pupils into a forest, where they were held for 56 days.
The attack reportedly ended with the killing of two people, Deacon John Olaleye and Michael Oyedokun, with the charge alleging Olaleye was beheaded. The case has drawn attention for marking a geographical shift, since Ansaru has traditionally operated in northern Nigeria rather than the southwest.
If convicted, the defendants face sentences ranging from 20 years to life imprisonment, and could face the death penalty under Nigeria’s 2022 anti-terrorism law if prosecutors prove the kidnapping resulted in deaths.
At the trial’s opening, the first prosecution witness, identified only as “AAA,” testified about the details of the raid and abduction, and prosecutor Rotimi Oyedepo asked the court to shield witnesses’ identities by letting them wear masks while testifying, citing the case’s sensitivity.
Mass kidnappings for ransom have spread widely across Nigeria in recent years, though large-scale school raids have historically been less common in the southwest.
In July, the presidency said security forces had rescued 39 pupils and six teachers and arrested eight suspected kidnappers connected to the case, while in May a teacher was killed in captivity and security personnel were wounded during an attempted rescue.
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