The Federal Government has arraigned five people over the beheading of two teachers abducted from schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Two of the defendants are alleged Ansaru commanders — Abubakar Abba Mahmuda Abu Bara’a and Abubakar Abbas, also known as Mallam Mahmuda Al-Nigeri. The Department of State Services (DSS) captured both in August 2025.
The DSS described the remaining three defendants as foot soldiers who assisted the Oriire school attack.
Justice Salim Ibrahim of the Federal High Court, Abuja, remanded all five in DSS custody and fixed September 24 for trial to begin.
The arraignment follows a July 23 ruling in which the same court sentenced three other suspects to life imprisonment over their roles in the Oriire kidnapping.
Justice Ibrahim had convicted Abdulrazak Umar (alias Abu Khalifa/Abu Khalid), Yunusa Musa (alias Yunusa bin Musa), and Shamsu Adamu Sani (alias Abu Itisar) after they pleaded guilty to some counts in a 10-count charge covering terrorism, kidnapping, concealment, incitement, and illegal mining.
The trio admitted concealing information about those who masterminded the school attack and confirmed membership of Darul Salam, an affiliate of Ansaru, a proscribed terrorist group in Nigeria.
All three pleaded guilty to counts four and six. Umar alone admitted to counts seven, eight, nine, and ten, which accused him of training terrorists through a WhatsApp group called “The Oneness of Allah is the Foundation of Peace.” He was also accused of illegal gold mining in the Chaza area of Suleja LGA between 2024 and 2026, in breach of the Miscellaneous Offences Act.
The three denied physically taking part in the Oriire attack and maintained their innocence on the remaining counts. Justice Ibrahim fixed September 16 and 17 for trial on counts one, two, three, and five.
The DSS has said it will appeal the life sentences, arguing the court should have imposed the death penalty instead.
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