Witness Reveals Alleged Masterminds Behind Oriire School Abduction

A prosecution witness has told the Federal High Court in Abuja that international terrorist organisation Al-Qaeda supported members of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan, known as Ansaru, in carrying out the May 15, 2026 attacks on schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

The court heard on Monday that the attacks, during which students and teachers were abducted, were intended to pressure the Federal Government into releasing detained leaders and members of the group.

The witness, identified as BBB, said the terrorists submitted a list of 30 people they wanted the government to release, warning that the captives would be killed if their demands were rejected.

He gave the testimony during the ongoing trial of five men accused of involvement in the attacks. The defendants are Mahmud Muhammad, also known as Abu Bara’a and Abbas Mukhtar; Abubakar Abbas, alias Isah Adam and Mallam Mahmuda Al-Nigeri; Abdulrazak Umar, known as Abu Khalifa or Abu Khalid; Yunusa Musa, also called Abu Yunusa Bin Musa; and Shamsu Adamu Sani, known as Abu Itisar.

According to the prosecution, the defendants are from Okene Local Government Area of Kogi State, Daura Local Government Area of Katsina State and Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State.

Led in evidence by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, BBB said he became familiar with the defendants through his official duties and participated in the investigation into the Oriire incident.

He identified Muhammad, the first defendant, as one of the founding members of Boko Haram, who previously headed its security and intelligence operations. The witness said Muhammad left Boko Haram in 2012 alongside other members to establish Ansaru, a group seeking to promote Islamic governance in Nigeria and target foreign nationals.

BBB explained that Ansaru members believed foreign nationals were responsible for the killing of Muslims in other countries, a belief that informed their decision to abduct and kill foreigners in Nigeria. He recalled that the group’s killing of seven foreign nationals in 2014 led the United States to designate Ansaru as a terrorist organisation and declare Muhammad a globally wanted terrorist.

The witness said Muhammad later assumed leadership of Ansaru and appointed Abbas, the second defendant, as head of operations. According to him, Muhammad was arrested in 2025, after which the group began planning attacks intended to secure the release of its detained leaders.

BBB told the court that Abbas identified high-profile targets for operations following Muhammad’s arrest. One such attack occurred on November 4, 2025, when Ansaru members reportedly attacked the convoy of Jafaru Mohammed Ali, a member of the House of Representatives representing Agwara/Borgu. Four military personnel were killed, while four Department of State Services personnel were injured.

The witness said the group intended to abduct the lawmaker and use him as leverage to demand the release of Muhammad, Abbas and other detained members. He added that Ansaru also planned an attack on the Wawa military base in New Bussa, Niger State, believing some of its members were being held there, but the operation failed.

Following that setback, members of the group allegedly moved to the South-West, where they believed media organisations could draw attention to their demands and increase pressure on the Federal Government to release their detained leaders.

Regarding the Oriire attacks, BBB said the abducted students and teachers were taken to a secured location in a forest near the Old Oyo National Park. The terrorists subsequently presented their list of 30 detainees and threatened to kill the captives if the government failed to comply.

He said the attackers resisted security operatives who moved to rescue the victims, opening fire on the personnel and killing one captive while threatening to murder others if the operation continued.

According to the witness, security agencies eventually launched an offensive after two abductees had been killed, taking into account the group’s alleged history of killing innocent people during its operations.

BBB further stated that the third, fourth and fifth defendants were members of Ansaru who communicated with some of the group’s commanders, including a commander believed to have been holding the Oriire victims.

He maintained that the abduction was carried out as part of a strategy allegedly established by the group’s leaders, under which members were expected to launch attacks and take hostages whenever senior figures were arrested.

The witness said the Federal Government refused to negotiate with the terrorists despite their demands. Security operatives eventually secured the release of the remaining captives, although a senior police officer and an Army officer were among the security personnel killed during the operation.

Two of the abducted victims had also been murdered before the rescue mission was completed.

Further proceedings in the trial are scheduled to continue on October 13 before Justice Salim Ibrahim.