The federal government has filed criminal charges against three men over their alleged involvement in the abduction of pupils and teachers from schools in Oriire LGA of Oyo state.
The 10-count charge, filed before the federal high court in Abuja, accused Abdulrazak Umar, also known as Abu Khalifa or Abu Khalid, Yunusa Musa (Yunusa bin Musa), and Shamsu Adamu Sani (Abu Itisar) of offences bordering on terrorism, kidnapping, concealment, incitement and illegal mining.
According to the charge sheet, the defendants, all from Suleja LGA of Niger state, allegedly conspired with three others — Muhammad Sani, Jibril Mohammed and Ibrahim Khabab — between January and May 2026 to kidnap the pupils and their teachers in Orire.
The government also accused the trio of aiding the abduction and concealing information about the identities and activities of the alleged masterminds despite having knowledge of the plot.
The defendants were equally accused of failing to report information about the alleged masterminds and the planned abduction to security agencies, contrary to the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
In another count, the federal government alleged that on or about June 2, 2026, the three men professed membership of Darul Salam, described in the charge as an affiliate of Jamaatu Asarul Muslima Fi Bilandis Sudan (Ansaru), a proscribed terrorist organisation in Nigeria.
In a separate charge, the federal government accused Umar of providing training and instructions to terrorists through a WhatsApp group named ‘The Oneness of Allah is the Foundation of Peace’.
He was alleged to have used the platform to incite members to commit acts of terrorism, an offence said to contravene provisions of both the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015.
He was also accused of unlawfully mining gold in streams located in Chaza area of Suleja LGA between 2024 and 2026 without lawful authority.
The alleged offence was said to be contrary to section 8(b) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act.
A security source said the suspects are expected to be arraigned next week following the conclusion of investigations.
“Others are still being probed as the agency is insistent on diligent investigation,” the source said.
On May 15, gunmen attacked three schools in Oriire LGA and abducted 39 pupils and seven teachers, including the principal of one of the affected schools. Two people were killed during the attack.
Days later, the abductors killed Michael Oyedokun, one of the abducted teachers, while in captivity.
On July 10the federal government announced that all the abductees had been rescued following a joint security operation.