The Department of State Services (DSS) is expected to re-arraign five suspected members of the Ansaru terrorist group on Thursday over their alleged involvement in the May 15 abduction of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The suspects are facing a six-count amended charge filed by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), on behalf of the Federal Government.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/438/2026, relates to the abduction and subsequent killing of two of the victims.
The defendants are Mahmud Muhammad, also known as Abu Bara’a and Abbas Mukhtar; Abubakar Abbas, aka Isah Adam and Mallam Mahmuda Al-Nigeri; Abdulrazak Umar, aka Abu Khalifa and Abu Khalid; Yunusa Musa, aka Abu Yunusa Bin Musa; and Shamsu Adamu Sani, aka Abu Itisar.
Their arraignment, initially scheduled for Wednesday before Justice Saliu Ibrahim of the Federal High Court in Abuja, could not proceed after the first defendant objected to being represented by a lawyer assigned by the Legal Aid Council.
A Deputy Director of the council, Akilaluyel Shettima, had announced his appearance for all five defendants when the matter was called.
Muhammad, speaking for himself and the other defendants, told the court that they had previously been represented by lawyer Bala Dakum and wanted him to continue with the case.
“We had been represented by Bala Dakum as our lawyer before, and we would want him to continue to defend us,” he told the court.
Oyedepo acknowledged the defendants’ constitutional right to counsel of their choice, saying the Federal Government and the DSS were not interested in persecuting the accused but in ensuring that the case was determined in accordance with the law.
Following the objection, Justice Ibrahim adjourned the proceedings until Thursday for the defendants to be re-arraigned.
The judge directed the suspects to contact Dakum and ensure that he was present in court for the proceedings. He also ordered the DSS to allow the defendants access to their lawyer to enable them adequately prepare their defence.
The re-arraignment will bring the five suspects back before the court on the amended charges after the proceedings were stalled over their legal representation.
The allegations against the defendants remain matters before the court, and they are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
