The Department of State Services has announced plans to appeal the life imprisonment handed to three men convicted over their alleged involvement in the abduction of school pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The DSS said it was dissatisfied with the judgment, arguing that the punishment imposed was not commensurate with the severity of the offences committed in connection with the abduction.
The agency cited the alleged killing of two teachers by members of the terrorist group linked to the incident as part of the reasons for seeking a stiffer sentence.
Justice Salim Ibrahim of the Federal High Court in Abuja had on Thursday sentenced Abdulrazak Umar, also known as Abu Khalifa or Abu Khalid; Yunusa Musa, alias Yunusa Bin Musa; and Shamsu Adamu Sani, alias Abu Itisar, to life imprisonment after they pleaded guilty to terrorism-related offences.
The three men were convicted of belonging to Darul Salam, an affiliate of the Ansaru terrorist organisation, concealing information about the abduction and inciting members of the group through religious ideology.
Umar also pleaded guilty to additional counts involving the training of members and issuing instructions, as well as inciting members of the terrorist group based on a particular religious ideology.
The defendants were prosecuted by the DSS on a 10-count charge bordering on kidnapping, concealment of information and terrorism-related offences under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
According to the charges, the suspects, all from Niger State, allegedly withheld information about individuals linked to terrorist activities, participated in kidnapping operations and used a messaging platform to facilitate terrorist training.
The court sentenced all three defendants to life imprisonment on Count Six, while Umar received additional life sentences on Counts Seven, Nine and Ten.
The DSS had previously expressed its intention to seek maximum punishment for the convicts, maintaining that their alleged roles in terrorist activities warranted more severe sanctions.
The latest development follows the sentencing last week of two senior commanders of the Ansaru terrorist organisation, Mahmud Muhammad Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a, and his deputy, Mahmud al-Nigeri, alias Mallam Mamuda, to life imprisonment by another Federal High Court in Abuja.
The DSS also indicated that it would appeal that judgment, insisting that the sentences handed to the two senior commanders did not adequately reflect the gravity of their alleged offences.
