Why Ansaru terrorists carried out Oriire abduction

A prosecution witness on Monday advised the Federal High Court in Abuja how the worldwide terrorist organisation, Al-Ql-Qeada, supported members of the Ansaru terrorist group deliberate the 15 May assaults on faculties in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

The witness, recognized as BBB, had his info withheld as a part of witness safety measures permitted by the court docket.

BBB, who mentioned he took half within the investigations into the terrorist assault, advised Justice Salim Ibrahim that the assault was to pressure the federal authorities to launch their leaders who have been arrested and being prosecuted.

The witness advised the court docket that following the kidnap of the scholars and academics, the terrorists submitted a listing containing 30 names of their leaders and members to the federal authorities and demanded that they be launched, else they might kill the kidnap victims.

BBB, the second prosecution witness within the ongoing trial of the 5 suspected members of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan (Ansaru), mentioned he knew the 5 defendants in the middle of his official duties.

The defendants comprise two convicted Ansaru commanders and three different males convicted and jailed earlier this 12 months for his or her reference to the final May college abduction and killing of two victims in Oyo State

In July, the 5 males have been arraigned earlier than Judge Salim Ibrahim on outdated costs and 4 contemporary ones masking the affect of their alleged terror actions nationwide.

The two convicts among the many defendants are Mahmud Usman Muhammad (also referred to as Abu Bara’a and Abbas Mukhtar),and Abubakar Abbas (also referred to as Isah Adam, Mahmud al-Nigeri and Malam Mamuda). The SSS mentioned Mr Muhammad was a self-proclaimed Emir of Ansaru, whereas Mr Abbas described himself because the group’s deputy and chief of workers.

The remaining defendants are Abdulrazak Umar (also referred to as Abu Khalifa and Abu Khalid), Yunusa Musa (also referred to as Yunusa bin Musa), and Shamsu Adamu Sani (also referred to as Abu Itisar).

PREMIUM TIMES reported that Judge Emeka Nwite sentenced Messrs Muhammad and Abbas to life imprisonment on 20 July, after they pleaded responsible to 32 costs introduced by the SSS. 

Three days later, Judge Ibrahim sentenced the three different newly charged defendants – Messrs Umar, Musa and Sani – to life imprisonment after they pleaded responsible to 6 of out 10 terrorism costs, together with allegations of their complicity within the abduction of pupils and academics in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State in May this 12 months.

The three males have been to proceed to full trial on the 4 remaining costs earlier than the prosecution re-filed an amended model of the indictment on 29 July, including six counts and bringing within the two jailed Ansarul leaders as co-defendants.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), citing the prosecution’s submitting, reported that the defendants are from Okene Local Government Area (LGA), Kogi State; Daura LGA, Katsina State, and Suleja LGA, Niger State.

BBB’s testimony

Led in proof by Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation (DPPF) Oyedepo Rotimi, prosecution witness BBB mentioned Nigerian safety brokers rescued the kidnap victims after the federal authorities refused to barter with the terrorists and play by their calls for.

The witness added that he notably knew the primary defendant (Mr Muhammad) in Maiduguri as one of many founding fathers of Boko Haram, who as soon as served because the group’s head of safety and intelligence.

He mentioned Mr Muhammad, whose father is from Okene in Kogi State, and his mom from Borno State, was amongst those that left Boko Haram in 2012 and arrange the Ansaru group to propagate their ideology of creating Islamic governance within the nation and carrying out assaults on overseas nationals.

The witness mentioned the group’s members believed that overseas nationals have been killing their Muslim brothers overseas, therefore their resolution to kidnap and kill foreigners.

He recalled that the group’s killing of seven foreigners in 2014 made the United States to designate Ansaru as a proscribed terrorist group and declared Muhammad a globally-wanted terrorist.

BBB mentioned Mr Muhammad led a sequence of kidnap and killing operations when he took over the management of Ansaru and named the second defendant (Mr Abbas) as the pinnacle of operations.

“He (Mahmud Mohammed) led the assault on the Emir of Potiskum. Seventeen army officers and three civilians have been additionally killed in one of many operations he carried out.

“He was arrested in 2025. It is a part of their ideology that when any of their leaders is arrested, they’ll do something to make sure his launch.

“When Abu Bara’a (Muhammad) turned the chief of Ansaru, he made the second defendant the pinnacle of operations.

“When the primary defendant was arrested, the second defendant recognized excessive profile operations to be carried out to make sure that he’s launched.

“On 4 November 2025, they attacked the convoy of House of Representatives member,
Jafaru Mohammed Ali, representing Agwara/Borgu, killed 4 army personnel and injured 4 DSS (SSS) personnel.

“The cause for the assault was to kidnap him and negotiate for the discharge of the leaders, amongst whom are the first and 2nd defendants.

“Their plan was to kidnap him, humiliate him publicly and demand that the FG launch the first and second defendants who have been in custody.

“They additionally deliberate to assault the Wawa Military base in New Bussa, Niger , as a result of they thought their members have been being saved there.

“When the attack on Wawa failed, members of ANSARU strategically relocated to the South West, where they believed there were media houses to help amplify their demands to make the FG agree to the release of the 1st and 2nd defendants and other of their members being held by the state,” the prosecution witness mentioned.

‘They wanted the release of 30 members’

The witness, who mentioned he was conscious of the Oriire assaults, added that he was a part of those that investigated the case.

BBB mentioned, “The assaults have been carried out by members of the ANSARU group. When they carried out the assault, they moved the victims to a secured location in a forest near Old Oyo National Park

“They made a requirement and submitted a listing of 30 members, together with their leaders to the federal government, warning that if their calls for weren’t met, they might kill the victims.

“They have been very hostile. The safety companies later launched an offensive on the forest.

“They shot at the security operatives and slaughtered one of the victims and threatened to kill others if there were efforts to rescue the victims.”

The witness mentioned after the terrorists killed two of the victims of the Oriire assaults, the safety operatives noticed the necessity to launch a rescue operation, figuring out that the Ansaru members had a historical past of reckless killing of harmless souls.

Describing how he knew the third, fourth and fifth defendants, the witness mentioned: “They are members of the ANSARU group that were in communication with some of the commanders, particularly one of the commanders, who was holding the Oriire victims.”

He mentioned that members of the Ansaru group carried out the Oriire assaults in furtherance of an ideology that was put in place by the leaders – the primary and second defendants – that within the occasion of the arrest of their high leaders, members ought to have interaction in sequence of operations (assaults) to pressure the FG to launch their arrested leaders.

BBB mentioned these behind the Oriire assaults truly pressured the federal government to launch their leaders, however that the federal authorities refused to barter with them.

“They (the terrorists) submitted a listing, together with the names of first and second defendants, who they needed the federal government to launch, in any other case they might kill all of the victims.

“Security companies have been in a position to safe the discharge of the victims.

“But sadly, we misplaced safety personnel, together with a senior police officer and an Army officer.

“Two of the victims were also murdered prior to the rescue operation,” the witness mentioned.

Judge Ibrahim adjourned the matter till Tuesday for continuation of trial.

The 15 May Oyo abduction

The May 15 assault on faculties in Yawota and neighbouring Ahoro-Esinele group resulted within the abduction of 46 schoolchildren and academics, with the victims spending 56 days in captivity earlier than their rescue on 10 July. 

The assault focused Baptist Nursery and Primary School, L.A. Primary School(Ahoro-Esinele), and Community Grammar School (Ahoro-Esinele)

Their rescue got here after weeks of coordinated operations involving the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Air Force, the Nigeria Police Force, the State Security Service (SSS), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Amotekun Corps, native hunters and vigilantes.

The rescue operation got here at a heavy value. Security personnel and three academics, together with the beheaded arithmetic trainer, Michael Oyedokun, misplaced their lives in the course of the abduction and subsequent rescue efforts.

(NAN)