Oyo School Attack: Al-Qaeda Backed Ansaru To Abduct Students, Force FG To Free 30 Detained Members — Witness Tells Court

• Prosecution witness states Al-Qaeda supported Ansaru members who assaulted schools in Oriire, Oyo State, and abducted trainees and instructors.

• Attackers supposedly required the release of 30 apprehended leaders and members, threatening to eliminate their captives if the Federal Government declined.

• Court hears Ansaru moved operations to the South-West after unsuccessful plots versus a federal legislator and Wawa Military Base in Niger State.

• Experience states 2 captives and security workers were eliminated before security forces saved the staying hostages after FG declined settlements.

October 12, (THEWILL)– A prosecution witness on Monday informed the Federal High Court in Abuja that worldwide terrorist organisation, Al-Qaeda, supported members of the proscribed Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan, otherwise referred to as Ansaru, to assault schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State and snatch trainees and instructors as utilize to require the Federal Government to launch 30 apprehended members and leaders.

The witness, recognized just as “BBB”, informed Justice Salim Ibrahim that the May 15 attacks became part of a supposed technique by Ansaru to install pressure on the federal government to launch its apprehended leaders and members.

According to him, after snatching the trainees and instructors, the aggressors sent a list including 30 names to the Federal Government, threatening to eliminate the captives if those on the list were not launched.

BBB affirmed as the 2nd prosecution witness in the continuous trial of 5 guys implicated of being Ansaru members and participation in the Oriire attacks.

The offenders are Mahmud Muhammad, likewise referred to as Abu Bara’a and Abbas Mukhtar; Abubakar Abbas, likewise called Isah Adam and Mallam Mahmuda Al-Nigeri; Abdulrazak Umar, likewise called Abu Khalifa or Abu Khalid; Yunusa Musa, likewise referred to as Abu Yunusa Bin Musa; and Shamsu Adamu Sani, likewise referred to as Abu Itisar.

According to the prosecution, the offenders 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 proof by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Oyedepo Rotimi, SAN, BBB stated the ultimate security operation to save the captives followed the Federal Government’s rejection to work out with the terrorists or accept their needs.

See Traces Ansaru Leadership To Boko Haram

BBB informed the court that he understood the 5 accuseds through his main responsibilities, recognizing Muhammad, the very first offender, as one of the founding figures of Boko Haram who when worked as the group’s Head of Security and Intelligence.

According to the witness, Muhammad, whose daddy is from Okene in Kogi State and whose mom is from Borno State, was amongst those who left Boko Haram in 2012 to develop Ansaru.

He stated the group looked for to propagate its ideology of developing Islamic governance in Nigeria and ended up being associated with attacks and kidnappings targeting foreign nationals.

The witness declared that Ansaru members thought foreign nationals was accountable for the killing of Muslims overseas and as a result thought about the kidnapping and killing of immigrants a type of retaliation.

He stated Muhammad consequently ended up being Ansaru’s leader and designated the 2nd offender, Abbas, as Head of Operations.

BBB even more declared that Muhammad led a series of kidnapping and eliminating operations, consisting of an attack on the Emir of Potiskum.

“He led the attack on the Emir of Potiskum. Seventeen military officers and 3 civilians were likewise eliminated in among the operations he performed”, the witness stated.

According to him, Muhammad’s arrest in 2025 activated efforts by Ansaru members to perform prominent operations to protect the release of their apprehended leaders.

“It becomes part of their ideology that when any of their leaders is apprehended, they will do anything to guarantee his release,” BBB informed the court.

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Supposed Plot To Kidnap Federal Lawmaker

The witness likewise connected the Oriire operation to earlier attacks apparently prepared or performed by the terrorist organisation.

He informed the court that on November 4, 2025, Ansaru members assaulted the convoy of House of Representatives member, Jafaru Mohammed Ali, representing Agwara/Borgu, eliminating 4 military workers and hurting 4 Department of State Services workers.

BBB stated the enemies meant to kidnap the legislator and utilize him as take advantage of to protect the release of their apprehended leaders.

“Their strategy was to abduct him, embarrass him openly and require that the FG release the very first and 2nd offenders who remained in custody”, he affirmed.

The witness stated Ansaru members likewise prepared to assault the Wawa Military Base in New Bussa, Niger State, due to the fact that they thought a few of their apprehended members were being held there.

According to him, after the Wawa operation stopped working, members of the group tactically moved towards the South-West, where they thought attacks would get higher limelights and magnify pressure on the Federal Government.

“When the attack on Wawa stopped working, members of ANSARU tactically moved to the South West, where they thought there were media homes to assist magnify their needs to make the FG consent to the release of the very first and 2nd accuseds and others of their members being held by the state”, BBB specified.

Captives Moved To Forest Near Old Oyo National Park

Turning to the Oriire attacks, BBB stated he was amongst those who examined the occurrence and recognized Ansaru members as those accountable.

According to him, after taking the trainees and instructors, the enemies moved them to a protected place in a forest near the Old Oyo National Park.

“The attacks were performed by members of the ANSARU group. When they performed the attack, they moved the victims to a protected area in a forest near to Old Oyo National Park”, he stated.

The witness stated the terrorists consequently sent their needs to the federal government, consisting of the list of 30 apprehended members and leaders they desired launched.

“They made a need and sent a list of 30 members, including their leaders, to the federal government, alerting that if their needs were not satisfied, they would eliminate the victims”, BBB affirmed.

He stated security companies consequently released an offending after the federal government declined to work out.

According to him, the terrorists opened fire on security workers throughout the operation and eliminated among the captives while threatening to murder others if security forces continued with the rescue effort.

“They were really hostile. The security companies later on introduced an offensive at the forest. They contended the security operatives and butchered among the victims, and threatened to eliminate others if there were efforts to save the victims”, he stated.

BBB informed the court that 2 captives were ultimately eliminated before the rescue operation, triggering security companies to heighten efforts to conserve the staying slaves.

He stated the choice was notified by what he referred to as Ansaru’s history of eliminating innocent slaves when its needs were not fulfilled.

Security Personnel Killed In Rescue Operation

The witness stated security forces eventually protected the release of the enduring captives, however suffered casualties throughout the operation.

“Security firms had the ability to protect the release of the victims. Regrettably, we lost security workers, consisting of a senior authorities officer and an Army officer. 2 of the victims were likewise killed prior to the rescue operation”, he informed the court.

BBB even more declared that the 3rd, 4th and 5th accuseds were members of Ansaru who interacted with a few of the group’s leaders, consisting of a leader who held the Oriire victims.

He preserved that the attack was performed in furtherance of a supposed policy developed by Ansaru’s management that members ought to install prominent operations whenever senior leaders were jailed in order to press the federal government into launching them.

According to him, the list sent after the Oriire attack consisted of the very first and 2nd accuseds.

“They sent a list, consisting of the names of the very first and 2nd offenders, whom they desired the federal government to launch, else they will eliminate all the victims”, the witness stated.

The Federal Government, he included, declined to accept the need.

The testament forms part of the prosecution’s case versus the 5 accuseds, and the claims versus them have yet to be figured out by the court.

Justice Ibrahim adjourned more hearing in the event up until Tuesday at 9 a.m.