- Reveals How One Defendant Linked To Terror Recruitment Via WhatsApp, Illegal Gold Mining
- Freed Victim Opens Up On Why Two Teachers Were Killed
The Federal Government has slapped a 10-count terrorism charge on three men accused of belonging to Darul Salam, an offshoot of the banned Ansaru group, over their alleged role in one of Nigeria’s most harrowing school abductions this year — the mass kidnapping of pupils and teachers from schools in Oriire, Oyo State.
The charges, filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja, span terrorism, kidnapping, conspiracy, concealing terrorist activity, incitement, and illegal mining.
Named as defendants are Abdulrazak Umar — also known as Abu Khalifa or Abu Khalid — Yunusa Musa, alias Yunusa bin Musa, and Shamsu Adamu Sani, alias Abu Itisar. All three hail from Suleja in Niger State and were picked up by the Department of State Services after investigations into the kidnapping.
According to the charge sheet, the men conspired with three others — Muhammad Sani, Jibril Mohammed and Ibrahim Khabab — between January and May 2026 to plan and carry out the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Oriire, in violation of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Prosecutors say the trio didn’t just help execute the abduction — they also sat on information about who was behind it, deliberately hiding the identities and activities of the masterminds despite knowing what was being planned.
The charge also accuses them of membership in Darul Salam, which prosecutors describe as an arm of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis Sudan, better known as Ansaru — a group already proscribed in Nigeria.
Abdulrazak Umar faces additional counts on his own. He’s accused of training terrorists and giving them operational guidance, and of running a WhatsApp platform called “The Oneness of Allah is the Foundation of Peace” to recruit, radicalise and incite others toward violence — charges that draw on both the Terrorism Act and the Cybercrimes Act of 2015.
On top of that, Umar is separately accused of illegal gold mining along streams in the Chaza area of Suleja between 2024 and 2026, an offence under the Miscellaneous Offences Act.
A security source said the three men are expected to be arraigned before the Federal High Court next week, now that investigations have wrapped up. But the hunt isn’t over — the source added that security agencies are still working to track down other suspected members of the network tied to the attack.
The case traces back to May 14, 2026, when terrorists stormed schools in the Ahoro-Esinle and Yawota communities of Oriire. They killed Mr. Joel Adesiyan on the school premises before dragging 39 pupils and seven teachers — including the school principal — into the forest.
Captivity brought more bloodshed. Survivors say two more teachers, Deacon John Olaleye and Mr. Michael Oyedokun, were killed by their captors during the ordeal. The remaining victims were finally freed on July 10, after 56 days in the forest, following a coordinated operation by multiple security agencies.
This prosecution marks the first major case to come out of the Oriire abduction — a clear signal that the Federal Government intends to pursue full accountability for one of the most tragic school kidnappings Nigeria has seen in recent months.
One of the victims rescued after spending 56 days in captivity following the abduction of pupils and staff of Community High School, Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, has narrated the chilling circumstances surrounding the killing of two teachers, revealing that the victims were executed after the terrorists accused them of violating instructions.
The survivor, Mr. Zaccheus Olatunde, who spoke after regaining his freedom, said one of the slain teachers, Mr. Michael Oyedokun, was killed after a mobile phone was allegedly found in his pocket despite an order that all captives should surrender their phones upon arrival at the terrorists’ camp.
According to him, the terrorists initially ordered all the abductees to hand over their phones when they reached the forest.
“We all dropped our phones, but we didn’t know Mr. Michael Oyedokun still had his. A terrorist who was sitting with him on a motorcycle discovered the phone and questioned him. The teacher said he didn’t hear the instruction. The terrorist slapped him and reported the matter to their commander,” Olatunde recalled.
He disclosed that the group operated under two leaders, whom they referred to as the General Commander and the Camp Commander.
According to Olatunde, the General Commander became enraged after hearing what had happened and declared that someone had to die for allegedly disobeying his order.
The following day, Oyedokun was taken away from the camp and killed.
“He was crying and begging as they dragged him away. We could hear him screaming, but after some time everything became quiet,” the survivor said.
He further claimed that a teenage member of the terrorist group later celebrated the teacher’s death by dancing and singing around the camp.
Olatunde also recounted how another teacher, Mr. John Olaleye, was allegedly murdered on June 7 after the terrorists accused security forces of moving too close to their hideout despite earlier warnings.
“They didn’t kill them in our presence. They took them to another location, but we heard their cries before everything became silent,” he said.
The survivor described the harsh conditions endured by the captives throughout the 56-day ordeal.
According to him, the victims were confined inside a tent, with their hands handcuffed and their legs chained throughout the period.
“Our eyes were blindfolded most of the time. Whenever we wanted to urinate or defecate, we had to beg them for permission. They moved us from one location to another, and sometimes they beat us with gun butts,” he said.
He added that adults often suffered punishment for mistakes allegedly committed by the younger children among the captives.
Olatunde said the terrorists maintained strict religious routines, praying regularly and reciting the Qur’an several times daily.
However, he alleged that the captives were forbidden from engaging in Christian prayers.
“They warned us not to pray or call the name of Jesus. Whenever they noticed anyone praying, they beat the person severely,” he said.
Contrary to widespread assumptions that ransom was their primary objective, Olatunde claimed the terrorists repeatedly insisted that their major demand was the release of their arrested members.
According to him, the kidnappers eventually announced that they would release the captives after informing them that soldiers had allegedly detained some of their family members.
“They told us to go home because soldiers had arrested their families. They said if they released us, their own people would also be released,” he stated.
Before setting them free, the terrorists reportedly directed the captives on the route to follow.
“They told us we would cross two streams and afterwards we would meet soldiers waiting to receive us.”
Olatunde said many of the younger pupils had become too weak to walk after weeks in captivity, forcing him to carry several of them across parts of the journey until they encountered security personnel.
“I carried almost all the little children because many of them could no longer walk,” he said.
The freed victim described the food supplied by the terrorists as grossly inadequate, saying they were fed mainly plain rice mixed with red palm oil, often without salt or pepper.
He recalled that the only exception came when the gunmen killed a deer and a grasscutter, which were shared among the captives.
Interestingly, Olatunde said the terrorists’ attitude changed noticeably after the death of Mr. John Olaleye.
According to him, the abductors became less violent after learning that some of their own relatives had allegedly been arrested by security forces.
“They started treating us better after they heard that some of their family members had been taken by soldiers,” he said.
He also disclosed that on the day of their release, the terrorists offered them an opportunity to bathe before leaving the forest.
“We refused because we were desperate to leave. They simply told us to prepare because we were going home,” he added.
Following their rescue, Olatunde said military officers later showed him photographs of suspected members of the terrorist group while they were in Ibadan.
“One of the military commanders asked whether I could identify any of them. I recognised one of the suspects. They told us eight of the terrorists had been arrested while others had been neutralised,” he said.
Despite expressing gratitude for surviving the ordeal, Olatunde said the memories of the two murdered teachers would remain painful.
“We thank God that we came back alive, but we are deeply saddened that Mr. Michael Oyedokun and Mr. John Olaleye did not return with us,” he said.
