A FEDERAL High Court in Abuja heard on Monday that international terrorist organisation Al-Qaeda supported members of the proscribed terrorist group Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan (ANSARU) in carrying out the May 15 attacks on schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
News Point Nigeria reports that the court also heard that the attack was intended to force the Federal Government to release the group’s leaders, who had been arrested and were being prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS).
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A prosecution witness, identified as ‘BBB’, told the court that following the kidnapping of students and teachers during the attacks, the terrorists submitted a list containing 30 names of their leaders and members to the Federal Government, demanding their release or threatening to kill the victims.
The witness, a DSS operative, testified on Monday as the second prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of five men said to be members of ANSARU and accused of complicity in the Oriire attacks.
The five defendants are Mahmud Muhammad (aka Abu Bara’a, Abbas Mukhtar); Abubakar Abbas (aka Isah Adam, Mallam Mahmuda Al-Nigeri); Abdulrazak Umar (aka Abu Khalifa/Abu Khalid); 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 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 (DPPF), Oyedepo Rotimi (SAN), BBB said the security operation that led to the rescue of the kidnapped victims was prompted by the Federal Government’s refusal to negotiate with the terrorists or accede to their demands.
The witness said he knew the five defendants through his official duties, adding that he particularly knew the first defendant, Muhammad, in Maiduguri as one of the founding fathers of Boko Haram, who once served as the group’s Head of Security and Intelligence.
He said Muhammad, whose father is from Okene in Kogi State and mother from Borno State, was among those who left Boko Haram in 2012 to establish ANSARU, with the aim of propagating its ideology of establishing Islamic governance in the country and carrying out attacks on foreign nationals.
The witness said members of the group believed that foreign nationals were killing their Muslim brothers abroad, prompting their decision to kidnap and kill foreigners.
He recalled that the group’s killing of seven foreigners in 2014 led the United States to designate ANSARU as a proscribed terrorist group and declare Muhammad a globally wanted terrorist.
BBB said Muhammad led a series of kidnapping and killing operations after taking over the leadership of ANSARU, and named the second defendant, Abbas, as the group’s Head of Operations.
The witness said, “He (Mahmud Mohammed) 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 are arrested, they will do anything to ensure their release. When Abu Bara’a (Muhammad) became the leader of ANSARU, he made the second defendant the head of operations.
“When the first defendant was arrested, the second defendant identified high-profile operations to be carried out to ensure that he was released. On November 4, 2025, they attacked the convoy of a House of Representatives member.”
The witness identified the lawmaker as Jafaru Mohammed Ali, who represents Agwara/Borgu, adding that the attack killed four military personnel and injured four DSS personnel.
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“The reason for the attack was to kidnap him and negotiate for the release of the leaders, among whom are the first and second defendants.
“Their plan was to kidnap him, humiliate him publicly, and demand that the FG release the first and second defendants who were in custody. They also planned to attack Wawa Military Base in New Busa, Niger State, because they thought their members were being kept there,” he said.
“When the attack on Wawa failed, members of ANSARU strategically relocated to the South West, where they believed there were media houses to help amplify their demands to make the FG agree to the release of the first and second defendants and other of their members being held by the state.”
The witness, who said he was aware of the Oriire attacks, added that he was among those who investigated the case.
BBB said, “The attacks were carried out by members of the ANSARU group. When they carried out the attack, they moved the victims to a secured location in a forest close to 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.
“They were very hostile. The security agencies later launched an offensive at the forest. They shot at the security operatives and slaughtered one of the victims and threatened to kill others if there were efforts to rescue the victims.”
The witness said that after the terrorists killed two victims of the Oriire attacks, security operatives saw the need to launch a rescue operation, knowing that ANSARU members had a history of recklessly killing innocent people.
He said one of the strategies adopted was to arrest the wife of the second defendant and family members of those behind the Oriire attacks.
BBB said, “Security men took the wife of the second defendant, including other family members of the commanders, who were active then. They were warned that if they killed any victims, their family members would also be killed.
“That was what led to the stoppage of the killing of the victims until the rescue operation was carried out. Two victims were killed in the Oriire attack.”
Describing how he knew the third, fourth and fifth defendants, the witness said, “They are members of the ANSARU group that were in communication with some of the commanders, particularly one of the commanders, who was holding the Oriire victims.”
He stated that members of ANSARU carried out the Oriire attacks in furtherance of an ideology established by the group’s leaders, the first and second defendants. According to him, the ideology required members to carry out a series of operations and attacks to force the Federal Government to release their arrested leaders whenever top commanders were detained.
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.
He added, “They (the terrorists) submitted a list, including the names of the first and second defendants, whom they wanted the government to release; else they would kill all the victims.
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“Security agencies were able to secure the release of the victims. But unfortunately, we lost security personnel, including a senior police officer and an Army officer. Two of the victims were also murdered prior to the rescue operation,” the witness said.
Further hearing in the case is scheduled to resume on Tuesday at 9 a.m. before Justice Salim Ibrahim.
