The Department of State Services (DSS) will on Thursday, September 17, re-arraign five suspected members of the Ansaru terrorist group over their alleged involvement in the May 15 abduction of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The defendants are expected before Justice Salim Ibrahim of the Federal High Court in Abuja on a six-count amended charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/438/2026.
The charge was filed on behalf of the Federal Government by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo.
The accused 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 and Abu Khalid; Yunusa Musa, also known as Abu Yunusa Bin Musa; and Shamsu Adamu Sani, also known as Abu Itisar.
The re-arraignment was initially scheduled for Wednesday but was stalled after Muhammad objected to being represented by counsel from the Legal Aid Council.
A Deputy Director of the council, Akilaluyel Shettima, had announced his appearance for the five defendants.
Muhammad, speaking on behalf of the group, told the court that they had previously been represented by lawyer Bala Dakum and wanted him to continue as their counsel.
Oyedepo accepted that the defendants’ right to counsel of their choice was a constitutional matter that should be respected.
Justice Ibrahim subsequently adjourned the matter until Thursday and directed the defendants to contact Dakum and ensure that he was present for the proceedings.
The judge also ordered the DSS to grant the defendants access to their lawyer to enable them to prepare their defence.
The case relates to the May 15 attack on schools in Oriire, during which 39 pupils and seven teachers were abducted, according to the prosecution.
Two teachers, Michael Oyedokun and John Olaleye, later died in captivity, while the remaining pupils and teachers were eventually rescued after 56 days.
The fresh proceedings are separate from earlier terrorism cases involving the five defendants.
In July, the defendants were convicted in separate proceedings over their roles in the attack. Mahmud Muhammad and Abubakar Abbas were sentenced to life imprisonment after pleading guilty to a 32-count terrorism charge, while Abdulrazak Umar, Yunusa Musa and Shamsu Adamu Sani were also sentenced to life imprisonment in a separate case.
The DSS subsequently filed the fresh six-count case over the alleged terrorism, kidnapping and killing of the two teachers.
The latest proceedings will determine the allegations contained in the amended charge, with the defendants having pleaded not guilty when the charge was previously read to them.
