The Department of State Services (DSS) on Wednesday rearraigned two convicted Ansaru terrorist commanders and three other convicts before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The five terrorists were arraigned before Justice Salim Ibrahim over their alleged involvement in the killings of two teachers among the seven teachers and 39 students abducted in Oyo State.
Those rearraigned Mahmud Muhammad, Abubakar Abbas, Abdulrazak Umar, Yunusa Musa, and Shamsu Adamu Sani.
Justice Emeka Nwite of a sister court had, on July 20, sentenced Muhammad and Abbas to a life imprisonment after they pleaded guilty to the 32-count terrorism charge preferred against them by the DSS.
Also, Justice Ibrahim, on July 23, committed Umar, Musa, and Sani to life imprisonment following their guilty plea to the allegations of their involvement in the recent abduction of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The DSS, in the trial, had filed a 10-count charge against them.
Although the two judges gave the convicts the maximum sentencing in line with the prescribed laws in the charges, the security outfit was dissatisfied with the development, prompting the agency to file a fresh charge against the five men.
The latest charge, marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/438/2026, had six counts that bordered on terrorism.
The charge, dated and filed on July 29 by the DSS lawyer, M.E. Ernest, had Mahmud Muhammad, Abubakar Abbas, Abudulrazak Umar, Yunusa Musa and Shamsu Adamu Sani as first to fifth defendants, respectively.
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The DSS kawyer, Calistus Eze, informed the court that the matter was for the defendants to take their plea.
Eze said an amended charge had been filed on July 29.
He urged the court to allow the amended charge which contained the names of the five convicts to be read to them.
The defence lawyer did not object.
After the charge was read to the defendants, they all pleaded not guilty to the fresh charge.
Eze then sought a trial date to enable the prosecution to prove its case against the defendants.
The lawyer also applied that the defendants be remanded in custody of the DSS.
Although the defence lawyer objected, Justice Ibrahim overruled him in a ruling.
The judge, however, ordered that the defendants be given unrestricted access to their lawyer and two of their family members before adjourning the matter until September 25 for the commencement of trial .
It would be recalled that the terrorists killed one teacher and abducted seven teachers and 39 pupils when they attacked three schools in Oriire LGA on May 15.
One teacher, Michael Oyedokun, was later beheaded by the terrorists, who publicly flaunted the act in a video that went viral.
After the rescue of the abductees, security agencies later confirmed that another teacher, John Olaleye, was also killed, bringing the number of teachers killed in captivity to two.
The 39 pupils and five surviving teachers, who spent 56 days in captivity, were rescued.
Before their rescue, the terrorists demanded the release of the two Ansaru commnaders (Muhammad and Abbas) as part of the bargain for the release of the abductees.
