A Department of State Services operative has told the Federal High Court in Abuja that members of the proscribed terrorist group Ansaru kidnapped pupils, students and teachers in Oyo State to pressure the Federal Government into releasing 30 detained leaders and members.
The witness, identified as BBB, gave the testimony on Monday while appearing as the second prosecution witness in the trial of five men accused of involvement in the May 15, 2026, abduction in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
According to the witness, the operation was allegedly supported by international terrorist organisation Al-Qaeda and formed part of a broader strategy by Ansaru to secure the release of its detained commanders.
BBB said the abductors submitted a list containing the names of 30 people they wanted released, threatening to kill their captives if the government failed to meet their demands.
The five defendants standing trial 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.
They face allegations linked to the abduction and the deaths of two victims. All five pleaded not guilty when they were re-arraigned on an amended seven-count charge in September.
How the alleged plan developed
Led in evidence by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), BBB said he knew the defendants through his official duties and had investigated the case.
The witness described the first defendant, Muhammad, as a former Boko Haram member who allegedly served as the group’s head of security and intelligence before leaving in 2012 to establish Ansaru.
He told the court that Muhammad later became Ansaru’s leader and appointed the second defendant, Abbas, as head of operations.
According to BBB, the group’s members believed that the arrest of their leaders should trigger attacks intended to force the government to release them.
The witness said Muhammad was arrested in 2025 and that Ansaru members subsequently planned attacks to secure his release.
He also alleged that on November 4, 2025, the group attacked the convoy of House of Representatives member Jafaru Mohammed Ali, who represents Agwara/Borgu Federal Constituency. The attack allegedly killed four military personnel and injured four DSS operatives.
The witness said the group intended to abduct the lawmaker and use him as leverage to negotiate the release of detained members. He further alleged that the group considered attacking the Wawa military base in New Bussa, Niger State, believing some of its members were being held there.
Captives moved to forest near Old Oyo National Park
BBB told the court that after the planned attack on the military base failed, Ansaru members relocated to the South-West, believing that the region’s media presence would help publicise their demands.
He said the abducted victims were taken to a secured location in a forest near Old Oyo National Park, where the kidnappers demanded the release of 30 members and threatened to kill the captives if the government refused.
According to the witness, security operatives encountered hostility during efforts to rescue the victims. He said two captives were killed before the surviving victims were freed.
The Oriire abduction occurred on May 15, 2026, when gunmen attacked three schools in the area and abducted pupils, teachers and a school principal. The victims spent 56 days in captivity before a multi-agency security operation secured their release in July. The government said the rescue was completed without concessions to the kidnappers.
BBB also alleged that security agencies arrested the wife of the second defendant and other family members of the group’s commanders as a means of preventing further killings.
He claimed that the strategy helped halt additional killings while security operatives prepared and executed the rescue operation.
The witness further alleged that the third, fourth and fifth defendants communicated with Ansaru commanders, including a commander who was holding the Oriire captives.
The testimony forms part of the prosecution’s effort to establish the alleged links between the defendants, Ansaru’s leadership and the kidnapping operation.
The case is before Justice Salim Ibrahim, with further proceedings scheduled for Tuesday at 9am.
