The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday heard that the May 15, 2026 abduction of students and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State was allegedly planned by members of the Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi Biladis Sudan (Ansaru) with support from Al-Qaeda.
A prosecution witness, identified as BBB, told Justice Salim Ibrahim that the operation was designed to pressure the Federal Government into releasing detained leaders and members of the terrorist group.
According to the witness, the abductors submitted a list containing the names of 30 Ansaru members and leaders whose release they demanded, threatening to kill the victims if the government failed to meet their demands.
BBB gave the testimony while appearing as a prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of five men accused of involvement in the Oriire attacks.
The 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 said 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, Oyedepo Rotimi, SAN, BBB said the operation was carried out after the Federal Government refused to negotiate with Ansaru over the release of its detained members.
The witness said he knew the defendants through his official duties and identified the first defendant, Muhammad, as one of the founding members of Ansaru who previously served as Head of Security and Intelligence of Boko Haram.
According to him, Muhammad left Boko Haram in 2012 and subsequently helped establish Ansaru, which, he said, sought to establish Islamic governance in Nigeria and targeted foreign nationals.
BBB told the court that Muhammad later became the leader of Ansaru and appointed the second defendant, Abbas, as its Head of Operations.
He said Muhammad was involved in several attacks, including an operation in which 17 military personnel and three civilians were killed.
The witness further alleged that Muhammad was arrested in 2025, prompting Ansaru members to begin planning attacks aimed at securing his release and that of other detained leaders.
“When the first defendant was arrested, the second defendant identified high-profile operations to be carried out to ensure that he was released,” BBB told the court.
He said Ansaru members attacked the convoy of a member of the House of Representatives, Jafaru Mohammed Ali, representing Agwara/Borgu, on November 4, 2025, killing four military personnel and injuring four Department of State Services personnel.
According to him, the attackers intended to abduct the lawmaker and use him as leverage to negotiate the release of detained Ansaru leaders.
BBB also told the court that the group planned an attack on the Wawa military base in New Bussa, Niger State, after believing that some of its members were being detained there.
Following the failure of that operation, the witness said, Ansaru members relocated to the South-West, where they believed the presence of media organisations would help draw public attention to their demands.
On the Oriire incident, BBB said the attackers abducted their victims and moved them to a forest near the Old Oyo National Park.
“They made a demand and submitted a list of 30 members, including their leaders, to the government, warning that if their demands were not met, they would kill the victims,” he said.
The witness said the terrorists later engaged security personnel during an attempted rescue operation and killed some of the hostages.
He said two victims were murdered before the security agencies eventually launched an offensive to rescue the remaining abductees.
BBB further identified the third, fourth and fifth defendants as members of Ansaru who allegedly communicated with commanders involved in holding the Oriire victims.
He said the abduction was part of a broader strategy adopted by Ansaru leaders to launch attacks whenever senior members of the group were arrested, with the objective of forcing the government to release them.
The witness said the government rejected the terrorists’ demands and refused to negotiate with them.
According to him, security agencies eventually succeeded in rescuing the remaining victims, although a senior police officer and an Army officer were killed during the operation.
The witness maintained that the abductors had specifically demanded the release of the first and second defendants, among others, as a condition for sparing the lives of the victims.
Further hearing in the case has been adjourned until October 13 before Justice Salim Ibrahim.
This version removes distracting material, tightens the chronology, and gives the allegations a clearer court-reporting structure while maintaining attribution to the prosecution witness.