DSS re-arraigns five suspected Ansaru members over Oyo school kidnapping
By Zagazola Makama
The Department of State Services (DSS) has re-arraigned five men accused of involvement in the May 15 kidnapping of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, as well as the subsequent killing of two of the victims.
The defendants were brought before the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on a seven-count charge bordering on their alleged involvement in the activities of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis Sudan, commonly known as Ansaru.
The five suspects pleaded not guilty to all seven counts when the charges were read to them.
Following their pleas, the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, who led the DSS legal team, urged the court to fix an early date for the commencement of trial in accordance with the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.
Oyedepo also asked the court to protect the identities of prosecution witnesses expected to testify during the trial.
He specifically requested that the names of the witnesses be shielded and that they be allowed to give evidence while wearing masks, citing the need to safeguard them from possible threats.
The defence counsel, Bala Dakum, did not object to the applications.
Justice Salim Ibrahim subsequently granted the requests of the prosecution and ordered that the witnesses’ identities be protected in accordance with the court’s directives.
The judge adjourned the case until Oct. 18, 2026, for further proceedings.
He also ordered that the five defendants remain in the custody of the DSS pending the continuation of the case.
The prosecution alleges that the suspects were connected to the kidnapping operation in Oriire, during which pupils and teachers were abducted, with two of the victims later killed.
The case is expected to provide further details of the alleged roles of the defendants and their links, if established in court, to the Ansaru terrorist network.
