Three Sentenced to Life for Oyo School Kidnap

On Thursday, a Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced three men—Abdulrazak Umar (a.k.a. Abu Khalifa/Abu Khalid), Yunusa Musa (a.k.a.

Yunusa bin Musa), and Shamsu Adamu Sani (a.k.a. Abu Itisar)—to life imprisonment for their roles in the kidnapping of school children and teachers in Orire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

Justice Salim Ibrahim convicted the defendants after they pleaded guilty to counts four and six of a 10-count charge filed by the federal government. The court imposed life sentences for count six, which involved their professed membership in Darul Salam, an affiliate of the proscribed terrorist group Jamaatu Asarul Muslima Fi Bilandis Sudan (Ansaru).

Additionally, Umar pleaded guilty to counts seven, nine, and ten, receiving life imprisonment for those counts as well. The defendants were accused of concealing information about the masterminds of the kidnapping and aiding the abduction, which occurred between January and May 2026.