A prosecution witness has told the Federal High Court in Abuja that members of the proscribed terrorist group, Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan, otherwise known as Ansaru, allegedly carried out the May 15 attack and kidnapping of students and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State as part of a strategy to compel the Federal Government to release detained leaders and members of the group.
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The witness, identified only as BBB and described as an operative of the State Security Service, also alleged that international terrorist organisation Al-Qaeda provided support to Ansaru in planning the attack.
Testifying on Monday before Justice Salim Ibrahim as the second prosecution witness in the trial of five defendants accused of involvement in Ansaru activities and the Oriire incident, BBB said the kidnappers submitted a list containing the names of 30 detained leaders and members whose release they demanded from the Federal Government.
According to the witness, the kidnappers threatened to kill the abducted students and teachers if the government refused to meet the demand. Pasted text
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 and Abu Khalid; Yunusa Musa, also known as Abu Yunusa Bin Musa; and Shamsu Adamu Sani, also known as Abu Itisar.
The prosecution alleges that the defendants are members of Ansaru, a proscribed terrorist organisation. The allegations against them have not been determined by the court.
Led in evidence by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, BBB told the court that he knew the defendants through his official duties.
He alleged that the first defendant, Muhammad, was among the founding members of Boko Haram and had served as the group’s head of security and intelligence before leaving with others in 2012 to establish Ansaru.
The witness said Ansaru was formed around an ideology of establishing Islamic governance in Nigeria and attacking foreign nationals, whom members of the group allegedly regarded as responsible for attacks on Muslims abroad.
BBB further alleged that Muhammad later assumed leadership of Ansaru and appointed the second defendant, Abbas, as head of operations. Pasted text
According to the witness, after Muhammad’s arrest in 2025, members of Ansaru began identifying high-profile targets whose abduction could allegedly be used as leverage to secure the release of detained commanders.
He cited the November 4, 2025 attack on the convoy of House of Representatives member Jafaru Mohammed Ali, representing Agwara/Borgu, alleging that four military personnel were killed and four SSS personnel injured.
BBB told the court that the alleged intention was to kidnap the lawmaker and use him to negotiate the release of detained Ansaru leaders.
He also alleged that the group planned an attack on the Wawa Military Base in New Bussa, Niger State, because its members believed some detained colleagues were being held there.
According to the witness, when the plan failed, Ansaru members relocated to the South-West, believing that the presence of media organisations in the region would enable them to amplify their demands and increase pressure on the Federal Government. Pasted text
Turning specifically to the Oriire attack, BBB said the kidnapped students and teachers were moved to a forest near the Old Oyo National Park, where the attackers allegedly issued their demand for the release of 30 detained members.
He said security agencies subsequently launched an operation in the forest after the Federal Government refused to negotiate with the kidnappers.
The witness told the court that the attackers fired at security personnel and threatened to kill more hostages if attempts were made to rescue them.
According to him, two of the abducted victims were killed before the rescue operation was completed, while security personnel also suffered casualties, including a senior police officer and an Army officer. Pasted text
BBB also testified that security agencies took into custody the wife of the second defendant and relatives of some alleged commanders during efforts to stop further killings of the hostages.
He alleged that the relatives were warned of consequences if more abductees were killed, and claimed that the measure contributed to the cessation of killings before the remaining victims were rescued. Pasted text
On the alleged roles of the third, fourth and fifth defendants, the witness told the court that they were members of Ansaru who communicated with commanders of the group, including one allegedly responsible for holding the Oriire victims.
He maintained that the school attack formed part of a broader strategy allegedly devised by Ansaru leaders under which members were expected to carry out attacks whenever senior figures were arrested, with the objective of forcing the government to release them.
BBB said the Federal Government ultimately refused to negotiate despite the threats and demands made by the kidnappers, while security agencies eventually secured the release of the surviving victims. Pasted text
The trial continues on Tuesday at 9 a.m. before Justice Salim Ibrahim.
The five defendants remain accused persons, and the prosecution’s allegations and the testimony of the SSS witness are subject to determination by the court.
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