The Department of State Services (DSS) on Thursday re-arraigned five suspected members of the notorious Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan (ANSARU) terrorist group over their alleged involvement in the violent abduction of school pupils and teachers in Oyo State.

The defendants, who are facing heavy terrorism charges, were brought before Justice Salim Ibrahim of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja. The security agency is prosecuting the suspects on behalf of the Federal Government following months of intensive intelligence-driven investigations into the high-profile criminal operation.

The suspects were identified by the prosecution as Mahmud Muhammad (also known as Abu Bara’a or Abbas Mukhtar), Abubakar Abbas (alias Isah Adam or Mallam Mahmuda Al-Nigeri), Abdulrazak Umar (alias Abu Khalifa/Abu Khalid), Yunusa Musa (alias Abu Yunusa Bin Musa), and Shamsu Adamu Sani (alias Abu Itisar).

They are being prosecuted on a seven-count amended charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/438/2026. The federal prosecution linked the five men directly to the tragic May 15 ambush, abduction, and subsequent trauma inflicted upon educators and school children within the Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

Beyond the mass abduction of the vulnerable citizens, the prosecution’s updated charge sheet also pinned the gruesome killing of two of the hostages on the five defendants. Despite the gravity of the accusations laid against them, all five men firmly maintained their innocence and pleaded not guilty as the court registrar read out the counts.

Leading the federal government`s legal team, the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation (DPPF), Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, immediately pushed for an accelerated hearing. He applied for an immediate trial of the suspects, citing the urgent security provisions and mandates of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.

To ensure the safety of those tracking the terrorist network, Oyedepo further applied for strict witness protection measures. The senior advocate requested that the identities of all prosecution witnesses lined up for the trial be shielded from the public and that they be permitted to wear facial masks while testifying.

The defense counsel, Bala Dakum, raised no objections to the prosecution`s strict requests for expedited trials and protective custody for witnesses. Consequently, Justice Salim Ibrahim granted the DSS applications in full, as judicial administrative staff began putting structures in place for a continuous, full-scale trial.