The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced three suspects linked to the abduction of students and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State to life imprisonment.
The convicts are Abdulrazak Umar also known as Abu Khalifa or Abu Khalid; Yunusa Musa alias Yunusa Bin Musa; and Shamsu Adamu Sani alias Abu Itisar.
Justice Salim Ibrahim ordered that their sentences should take effect from the dates of their arrests.
The three men were prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS) on a 10-count charge bordering on terrorism-related offences, concealment of information and kidnapping.
During their arraignment, the defendants pleaded guilty to charges relating to membership of a proscribed terrorist organisation and concealing information about the planning and execution of the abduction.
However, only Umar pleaded guilty to counts seven to 10 which involved allegedly providing training and instructions and inciting members of a terrorist group based on a particular religious ideology.
Following their guilty pleas, defence counsel urged the court to temper justice with mercy, describing the defendants as first-time offenders who had shown remorse by admitting to the offences.
The lawyer also told the court that the convicts were married with children and had aged parents who depended on them, urging the judge to give them an opportunity to turn their lives around.
The prosecution, however, argued that the defendants were aware of the activities of terrorists and had a responsibility as Nigerians to report such information to the appropriate authorities.
According to the charges, the three defendants who are from Niger State allegedly withheld information about individuals connected to terrorist activities, participated in kidnapping operations and used a messaging platform to facilitate terrorist training.
After considering the submissions from both sides, Justice Ibrahim sentenced each of the three defendants to life imprisonment.
The judge ordered that the sentences would commence from the respective dates of their arrest.
