The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced three men to life imprisonment over their involvement in the kidnapping of schoolchildren and teachers in Orire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The convicts, Abdulrazak Umar, also known as Abu Khalifa or Abu Khalid; Yunusa Musa, alias Yunusa Bin Musa; and Shamsu Adamu Sani, popularly called Abu Itisar, were prosecuted by the Department of State Services.
Justice Salim Ibrahim handed down the sentence after the three defendants admitted to charges bordering on membership of a proscribed terrorist organisation and concealing information about the activities of the bandits responsible for the abduction.
Although the defendants were arraigned on a 10-count charge, they pleaded guilty to some of the counts, including those relating to terrorist group membership and withholding information from security authorities.
The court subsequently convicted the trio on the basis of their guilty pleas and imposed life imprisonment.
The DSS had accused the convicts of maintaining links with the bandits involved in the abduction of pupils and teachers in Orire, a case that drew widespread public attention.
Further details of the judgment were still being awaited as of the time of filing this report.