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The Department of State Services (DSS) has announced plans to appeal the life imprisonment sentence handed to three convicted members of the Ansaru terrorist group over the abduction of school pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The agency said it was dissatisfied with the judgment, arguing that the punishment did not reflect the gravity of the offences committed, particularly the killing of two teachers during the incident.
According to the DSS, the beheading of the teachers constitutes a capital offence that should attract the death penalty under the law.
The decision follows Thursday’s judgment by Justice Salim Ibrahim of the Federal High Court, Abuja, who sentenced the three defendants to life imprisonment after they pleaded guilty to terrorism-related charges.
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.
The court found them guilty of belonging to Darul Salam, an affiliate of the Ansaru terrorist organisation, concealing information relating to the kidnapping and promoting extremist ideology.
Abdulrazak Umar also pleaded guilty to additional counts relating to providing terrorist training, issuing operational instructions and indoctrinating members of the group through religious extremism.
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The defendants, all natives of Niger State, were prosecuted by the DSS on a 10-count charge bordering on kidnapping, terrorism, concealment of information and facilitating terrorist activities, contrary to Section 16(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022.
The prosecution told the court that the defendants knowingly withheld information about terrorist activities, participated in the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers, and used digital communication platforms to coordinate terrorist training and operations.
Justice Ibrahim sentenced the three defendants to life imprisonment on Count Six, while Abdulrazak Umar received additional life sentences on Counts Seven, Nine and Ten.
Reacting to the judgment, the DSS maintained that while the convictions represented a significant step in the fight against terrorism, the sentence imposed failed to adequately reflect the severity of the crimes committed.
The agency said it would challenge the verdict at the Court of Appeal, insisting that the murder of the two teachers warranted the maximum punishment prescribed by law.
The latest development comes days after another Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced two senior Ansaru commanders — Mahmud Muhammad Usman, popularly known as Abu Bara’a, and his deputy, Mahmud al-Nigeri, also known as Mallam Mamuda — to life imprisonment over terrorism-related offences.
