FG’s witness narrates how Ansaru, with Al-Qaeda’s support, planned Oriire abduction

A witness for the Federal Government on Monday told a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja that the international terrorist organisation Al-Qaeda supported members of the Ansaru terrorist group in carrying out the 15 May attacks on schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

The witness, identified as “BBB”, also told the trial judge, Justice Salim Ibrahim, that the attacks were intended to force the Federal Government to release the group’s leaders, who had been arrested and were being prosecuted.

BBB told the court that following the abduction of the students and teachers, the terrorists submitted a list containing 30 names of their leaders and members whom they demanded the Federal Government release, threatening to kill the victims if their demands were not met.

BBB, the second prosecution witness (PW2) in the ongoing trial of five suspected members of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan (Ansaru), said he knew the defendants through his official duties.

The defendants are Mahmud Muhammad (aka Abu Bara’a and Abbas Mukhtar), Abubakar Abbas (aka Isah Adam), Mallam Mahmuda Al-Nigeri, Abdulrazak Umar (aka Abu Khalifa and Abu Khalid), and Yunusa Musa (aka Abu Yunusa Bin Musa and Shamsu Adamu Sani (aka Abu Itisar).

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

Led in evidence by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Oyedepo Rotimi, SAN, BBB said the security operation that led to the rescue of the abducted victims followed the Federal Government’s refusal to negotiate with the terrorists or comply with their demands.

The witness added that he knew the first defendant, Muhammad, in Maiduguri, where he was reportedly one of the founding members of Boko Haram and had served as the group’s head of security and intelligence.

He said Muhammad, whose father was from Okene in Kogi State and mother from Borno State, was among those who left Boko Haram in 2012 to establish Ansaru. The group, he said, sought to promote its ideology of establishing Islamic governance in Nigeria and carrying out attacks on foreign nationals.

The witness said the group’s members believed that foreign nationals were killing their Muslim brothers abroad, prompting them to kidnap and kill foreigners.

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.

BBB said Muhammad led a series of kidnapping and killing operations after assuming leadership of Ansaru and appointed the second defendant, Abbas, as head of operations.

“He (Mahmud Muhammad) led the attack on the Emir of Potiskum. Seventeen military officers and three civilians were also killed in one of the operations he carried out. He was arrested in 2025. It is part of their ideology that once any of their leaders is arrested, they will do anything to ensure his release.

“When the first defendant was arrested, the second defendant identified high-profile operations to be carried out to ensure his release.

“On 4 November 2025, they attacked the convoy of a member of the House of Representatives, Jafaru Mohammed Ali, representing Agwara/Borgu, killing four military personnel and injuring four DSS personnel.

“The reason for the attack was to kidnap him and negotiate for the release of the leaders, among whom were the first and second defendants. Their plan was to kidnap him, humiliate him publicly and demand that the Federal Government release the first and second defendants, who were in custody.

“They also planned to attack the Wawa Military Base in New Bussa, Niger State, because they thought their members were being held there.

“When the attack on Wawa failed, members of Ansaru strategically relocated to the South-West, where they believed there were media houses that could help amplify their demands and pressure the Federal Government to release the first and second defendants and other members in custody,” he said.

The witness, who said he was aware of the Oriire attacks, added that he was among those who investigated the case.

“The attacks were carried out by members of the Ansaru group. After carrying out the attacks, they moved the victims to a secure location in a forest close to the Old Oyo National Park.

“They made a demand and submitted a list of 30 members, including their leaders, to the government, warning that they would kill the victims if their demands were not met.

“They were very hostile. The security agencies later launched an offensive in the forest. They shot at the security operatives and slaughtered one of the victims, threatening to kill others if efforts were made to rescue them.”

The witness said that after the terrorists killed two of the victims of the Oriire attacks, security operatives decided to launch a rescue operation, knowing that Ansaru members had a history of killing innocent people indiscriminately.

Explaining how he knew the third, fourth and fifth defendants, the witness said, “They are members of the Ansaru group who were in communication with some of the commanders, particularly one of the commanders who was holding the Oriire victims.”

He stated that Ansaru members carried out the Oriire attacks in furtherance of an ideology established by the group’s leaders, the first and second defendants. Under this ideology, he said, members were expected to carry out a series of operations and attacks to force the Federal Government to release their leaders if they were arrested.

BBB said those behind the Oriire attacks had sought to pressure the government into releasing their leaders, but the Federal Government refused to negotiate with them.

Justice Ibrahim adjourned the case until 13 October for continuation of the trial.