A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced three men to life imprisonment for their involvement in the abduction of pupils from Oriire, Oyo State, after they pleaded guilty to charges linked to terrorism and concealing information about the masterminds of the attack.
Justice Ibrahim Salem convicted the defendants after they admitted to withholding information about those behind the kidnapping, an offence the court found to be connected to the school abduction.
The convicts, Abdulrazak Umar, Shamsudin Adamu and a third defendant, also pleaded guilty to being members of Darul Salam, an affiliate of the proscribed terrorist group Ansaru.
During the proceedings, Abdulrazak Umar and Shamsudin Adamu admitted to providing training and instructions to members of a WhatsApp group titled “The Oneness of Allah is the Foundation of Peace” and inciting them to commit acts of terrorism.
The court also heard that Abdulrazak Umar pleaded guilty to illegally mining gold in streams located in Chaza, Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State, without lawful authorisation.
The Federal Government had prosecuted the defendants on charges bordering on terrorism-related offences, concealment of information and other criminal activities.
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