The Department of State Services (DSS) has re-arraigned five men accused of involvement in the abduction of pupils, teachers and school officials in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, with all the defendants pleading not guilty to the amended terrorism charges brought against them.
The defendants were brought before the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday, September 17, 2026, over the May 15 attack on three schools in the Oriire area, during which 46 pupils, teachers and school officials were abducted.
They are also facing allegations linked to the deaths of two victims during the period of captivity.
The case, which has attracted national attention because of the scale of the school abduction and the alleged involvement of members of the proscribed Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan, commonly known as Ansaru, was heard before Justice Salim Ibrahim.
The five defendants are Mahmud Muhammad, also known as Abu Bara’a and Abbas Mukhtar; Abubakar Abbas, also known as Isah Adam and Mallam Mahmuda Al-Nigeri; Abdulrazak Umar, also known as Abu Khalifa or Abu Khalid; Yunusa Musa, also known as Abu Yunusa Bin Musa; and Shamsu Adamu Sani, also known as Abu Itisar.
They each pleaded not guilty after the amended charges were read to them.
The latest proceeding followed an earlier arraignment in July, when the defendants were brought before the same court on a six-count charge. The prosecution subsequently filed an amended charge, expanding the allegations to seven counts.
DSS Seeks Immediate Trial
The Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, who led the prosecution team representing the DSS, asked the court to allow the trial to commence immediately.
Oyedepo relied on the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, in making the request.
The prosecution also asked the court to protect the identities of witnesses expected to testify during the proceedings. It specifically requested that the witnesses be allowed to wear masks while giving evidence in court.
The defence counsel, Bala Dakum, did not oppose the applications.
Justice Salim Ibrahim subsequently granted the requests made by the prosecution, paving the way for the proceedings to continue with measures aimed at protecting the identities of prosecution witnesses.
What The Federal Government Alleges
The prosecution’s case centres on allegations that the defendants were members of Ansaru and played different roles in the planning or execution of the Oriire school abduction.
According to the amended charge, Mahmud Muhammad and Abubakar Abbas allegedly instructed the other three defendants to kidnap and kill Nigerians in different parts of the country if members of the group were arrested.
The prosecution alleges that the directive was connected to the abduction of about 46 pupils, teachers and school officials from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area.
The three schools identified in the case are Community High School in Ahoro-Esiele, Baptist Nursery and Primary School in Yawota, and L.A. Primary School in Esiele.
The prosecution further alleges that the defendants were involved in the deaths of Michael Oyedokun and John Olaleye, two victims of the attack.
One of the allegations contained in the charge is that Olaleye was decapitated.
The defendants have not admitted the allegations. Their pleas of not guilty mean that the prosecution will be required to establish its case before the court in accordance with Nigerian law.
Alleged Failure To Report Terrorist Plot
Another aspect of the case concerns an allegation that some of the defendants failed to provide information to law enforcement authorities about an imminent act of terrorism and the planned abduction.
The prosecution alleges that the information was available to the defendants but was not disclosed to security agencies before the attack occurred.
The Government also accused the five men of conspiring with other individuals to abduct the pupils and teachers from the schools in Oriire.
Three of the defendants — Abdulrazak Umar, Yunusa Musa and Shamsu Adamu Sani — are separately accused of aiding the alleged abduction.
Mahmud Muhammad and Abubakar Abbas, meanwhile, are accused of concealing information concerning an imminent terrorist act allegedly connected with the May 15 attack and the deaths of two victims.
The charges were filed under provisions of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
How The Oriire School Abduction Happened
The incident occurred on May 15, 2026, when armed attackers raided three schools in communities within Oriire Local Government Area.
Reports from the time identified the affected schools as Baptist Nursery and Primary School in Yawota, Community High School in Ahoro-Esiele and L.A. Primary School in Esiele.
A total of 46 people, comprising pupils, teachers and school officials, were taken into captivity during the attack.
The victims remained in captivity for 56 days, with details later emerging about the difficult conditions they experienced.
Rachael Alamu, the Principal of Community High School who was among those abducted, subsequently recounted aspects of the ordeal, including the movement of the captives through forest areas during their period in captivity. It was reported that the victims were eventually rescued on July 10 following an intelligence-led operation.
The Nigerian Army also said the rescue operation followed an intelligence-driven effort involving troops and other security agencies and targeted the kidnappers’ network and hideouts in the Old Oyo National Park and other locations.
Two Victims Allegedly Killed
While most of those abducted were eventually rescued, the case before the Federal High Court includes allegations concerning the deaths of two victims.
The prosecution has identified them as Michael Oyedokun and John Olaleye.
Earlier reports on the case stated that two teachers were killed during the period of captivity, while 44 other victims were rescued after 56 days.
The alleged deaths form part of the terrorism-related accusations now being contested before the court.
The defendants’ not-guilty pleas mean that the allegations remain matters to be determined through the judicial process.
Arraignment Was Earlier Delayed
Thursday’s proceeding came after an attempt to arraign the defendants on Wednesday, September 16, was stalled.
Reports indicated that the earlier proceeding could not go ahead after the accused persons insisted on being represented by lawyers of their own choice rather than counsel provided through the Legal Aid Council.
The matter was consequently adjourned for the defendants to return to court on Thursday, when the re-arraignment proceeded.
The development marks another stage in the Federal Government’s prosecution of the five men over the Oriire school attack.
The case is expected to continue before the Federal High Court in Abuja, with the prosecution expected to present evidence in support of the allegations and the defence given an opportunity to challenge the case against the defendants.
For now, all five defendants remain presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty by the court.