DSS to Challenge Life Sentences, Pushes for Death Penalty for 2 Terrorist Commanders
- A federal high court in Abuja sentenced Ansaru's self-styled Emir and his deputy to life imprisonment after they pleaded guilty to 32 terrorism counts
- The DSS said it considers the punishment too lenient given the role the commanders played in the Oriire abduction, which ended with two teachers behe@ded
- A senior DSS official revealed the Ansaru commanders shifted their court plea during the period when kidnappers demanded their release as a condition for freeing victims
Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 8 years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues
FCT, Abuja - The Department of State Services (DSS) has said it will appeal the life sentences handed to two senior Ansaru commanders by a federal high court in Abuja, describing the punishment as insufficient given the severity of the crimes.
Justice Emeka Nwite imposed the sentences on Monday after both defendants entered guilty pleas to a 32-count terrorism charge.
Source: Twitter
The convicts are Mahmud Usman, known by several aliases including Abu Bara'a, Abbas and Mukhtar, who served as the self-styled Emir of Ansaru, and Mahmud al-Nigeri, also called Malam Mamuda, his deputy and chief of staff.
DSS faults sentencing of terrorist commanders
As reported by TheCable, a senior DSS official who spoke after the ruling said the agency believes the two men received a punishment that falls short of what their offences warrant.
The official linked the conduct of the two men during the trial directly to events surrounding the abduction of pupils and teachers in the Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
According to the official, the commanders had initially signalled they would plead guilty but reversed course around the time suspected Ansaru members carried out the Oriire kidnapping.
The abductors held the victims for close to 60 days and demanded the unconditional release of the two jailed commanders as a condition for freeing the hostages.
"For the nearly 60 days the kidnappers held on to the pupils and teachers of Oriire, the Ansaru commanders in our custody changed."
Justice Nwite eventually gave the defendants a deadline to decide on their plea before Monday's sitting. After the Oriire victims were rescued, both men came to court and pleaded guilty to all the charges against them.
Killed teachers central to DSS appeal
According to Channels Television, the DSS official said the agency's decision to challenge the sentences is rooted in the fate of two teachers killed during the Oriire ordeal.
The abductors behe@ded the teachers in what the official described as a calculated move to force the government's hand.
"The reason the terrorists behe@ded the two Oriire teachers was to put pressure on the government to release these two Ansaru commanders.
"Allowing the two terror commanders to walk away with life sentences will not serve the cause of justice for the two Oriire teachers behe@ded by their abductors. It, therefore, wouldn't be fair to see two men and their families are made to live with the losses without adequately bringing the culprits to book."
The convicts had initially pleaded not guilty before later telling the court they were undecided, prompting Justice Nwite to issue an ultimatum ahead of the Monday hearing.
Source: Original
9 killed during Oriire abduction, rescue operation
The Oyo state government published the names of nine people killed during the Ahoro-Esinle and Yawota abduction and rescue operation in Oriire LGA
Four civilians and five military and security personnel lost their lives during the mass school kidnapping and rescue efforts
The deaths came even as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu confirmed that over 40 abducted students and teachers were eventually rescued 56 days after gunmen seized them from three Oyo schools.
Name, photo of another Oyo teacher killed
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the principal of the affected school confirmed that two teachers abducted alongside pupils were killed by their kidnappers.
John Olaleye was killed on the first Sunday of June 2026, following the earlier death of Mathematics teacher Michael Oyedokun.
The kidnappers claimed the teachers were executed because they wanted to mount pressure on Nigerian state actors to yield to their demands.
Source: Legit.ng
