Nigerian officials demand death sentences for plotters of Baptist kidnappings

‘The reason the terrorists beheaded the two Oriire teachers was to put pressure on the government to release these two Ansaru commanders. It therefore wouldn’t be fair to see two men beheaded without bringing the culprits to book.’

A Nigerian court sentenced two commanders of the Ansaru terrorist group to life imprisonment for their role in the abduction of the 46 pupils and teachers from the Baptist school in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

However, a senior official of the Department of State Services said it considers the life sentence too light a punishment and would appeal for the death sentence.  

Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced Mahmud Usman, alias Abu Bara’a/Abbas/Mukhtar, the self-styled Emir of Ansaru, and Abubakar Abba, alias Mahmud al-Nigeri/Malam Mamuda, who eventually pleaded guilty to all the 32-count charges against them, to life imprisonment. 

The department official said it was curious that both commanders – who were already in custody – were on the verge of pleading guilty to the charges but changed their minds shortly after the Oriire kidnappings took place. 

“For the nearly 60 days the kidnappers held on to the pupils and teachers of Oriire, the Ansaru commanders in our custody changed,” the official said. “One of the top conditions the abductors gave was the unconditional release of these same Ansaru commanders in exchange for the Oriire kidnap victims.” 

The official continued: “From ‘not guilty plea,’ the two men, at the penultimate court session, said they were undecided on what plea to take. Justice Nwite even had to hand them an ultimatum to make up their minds on or before Monday’s sitting. After the Oriire rescue, they came to court to plead guilty to all the charges.” 

According to the official, accepting the life sentences would not serve the cause of justice for the two Oriire teachers beheaded by their abductors. 

“The reason the terrorists beheaded the two Oriire teachers was to put pressure on the government to release these two Ansaru commanders. It therefore wouldn’t be fair to see two men beheaded and their families made to live with the losses without adequately bringing the culprits to book,” the official said. 

The charges included terrorism, terrorism financing, kidnapping for ransom, illegal mining, fabrication of improvised explosive devices, and other offences linked to terrorist operations. 

The court sentenced both men to life imprisonment on counts 30 and 31, while imposing additional 20-year prison terms on the remaining counts. Justice Nwite ordered that the sentences on the other counts should take effect from the date of their arrest.

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