Three men arraigned over their alleged involvement in the kidnapping of schoolchildren and teachers in Orire Local Government Area of Oyo State have pleaded guilty to terrorism-related charges before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The defendants — Abdulrazak Umar (also known as Abu Khalifa/Abu Khalid), Yunusa Musa (also known as Yunusa bin Musa), and Shamsu Adamu Sani (also known as Abu Itisar) — entered their guilty pleas on Thursday before Justice Salim Ibrahim.
The defendants, who were arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS), are all natives of Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State.
They are standing trial on a 10-count terrorism charge filed by the Federal Government. While all three defendants pleaded guilty to counts four and six, Umar, the first defendant, also pleaded guilty to counts seven, eight, nine and 10, in which he was solely named.
According to the prosecution, count four alleged that the defendants, between January and May in Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State, concealed information about the activities of Muhammad Sani, Jibril Mohammed, and Ibrahim Khabab, who were identified as alleged terrorists accused of masterminding the kidnapping of schoolchildren and teachers in Orire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The prosecution further alleged that despite having knowledge of the suspects’ activities, the defendants failed to disclose the information to the relevant security agencies, contrary to the provisions of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act.
The court is expected to continue proceedings on the remaining counts in the charge.
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