Key facts
- Five suspected Ansaru members are on trial in Nigeria for a school kidnapping.
- The defendants pleaded not guilty to terrorism-related charges.
- If convicted, they face sentences from 20 years to life imprisonment, or the death penalty.
- Gunmen abducted 39 pupils and seven teachers from schools in Oyo state on May 15.
- One teacher was killed in captivity, and security personnel were wounded during an attempted rescue.
- Security forces rescued 39 pupils and six teachers and arrested eight suspected kidnappers in July.
Nigeria's state security service on Thursday began the trial of five individuals accused of belonging to the Islamist group Ansaru and being involved in the abduction of pupils and teachers from schools in Oyo state. The defendants, identified as Mahmud Muhammad, Abubakar Abbas, Abdulrazak Umar, Yunusa Musa, and Shamsu Sani, pleaded not guilty to seven terrorism-related charges before Federal High Court Judge Salim Ibrahim in Abuja.
Prosecutors are seeking protection for witnesses due to the sensitivity of the case. If convicted, the defendants face sentences ranging from 20 years to life imprisonment. Under Nigeria's 2022 anti-terrorism law, the death penalty could be imposed if prosecutors prove that deaths resulted from the kidnapping.
The first prosecution witness, identified only as "AAA", testified that gunmen entered the schools on May 15, fired shots, and then took seven teachers and 39 pupils into a forest, where they were held for 56 days. During an attempted rescue in May, one teacher was killed in captivity and security personnel were wounded by explosives.
Mass kidnappings for ransom have become prevalent across Nigeria, although large-scale school raids have been less common in the southwest. In July, the presidency announced that security forces had rescued 39 pupils and six teachers and arrested eight suspected kidnappers.