Oyo abduction: DSS to re-arraign suspects Thursday
The DSS will on Thursday re-arraign five suspected Ansaru terrorists over the abduction of pupils and teachers in Oriire LGA, Oyo State. Read More: https://punchng.com/oyo-abduction-dss-to-re-arraign-suspects-thursday/
The Department of State Services (DSS) announced Thursday's re-arraignment of five individuals suspected of being members of the Ansaru terrorist group for their alleged role in the May 15 abduction of pupils and teachers in Oyo State, resulting in the deaths of two victims. The five suspects - Mahmud Muhammad, Abubakar Abbas, Abdulrazak Umar, Yunusa Musa, and Shamsu Adamu Sani - will face a Federal High Court in Abuja on charges related to the incident.
The charges, amended to six counts and filed by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Rotimi Oyedepo, on behalf of the Federal Government, are outlined in the case marked FHC/ABJ/CR/438/2026. Initially set for Wednesday, the arraignment proceedings were postponed after the first defendant, Muhammad, refused to be represented by a lawyer from the Legal Aid Council.
Muhammad argued that they had previously been represented by Bala Dakum, whom they want to continue to defend them. Justice Saliu Ibrahim granted the defendants' request to adjourn the case until Thursday, directing them to contact their prior lawyer and ensuring that they have access to counsel for their defense, as per the law.
Written by urgent.news from Punch Nigeria's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
