DSS Witness: Ansaru Used Oriire School Kidnap to Demand Release of Terrorist Leaders

A witness from the Department of State Services (DSS) has told a Federal High Court in Abuja that members of the proscribed terrorist group, Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan (Ansaru), abducted students and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State to pressure the Federal Government into releasing detained leaders of the group.

The witness, identified as BBB, also alleged that international terrorist organisation al-Qaeda supported Ansaru in planning the May 15 attack.

Testifying on Monday as the second prosecution witness in the trial of five alleged Ansaru members, BBB said the group submitted a list of 30 leaders and members it wanted released, threatening to kill the abducted victims if the government failed to meet its demands.

The defendants are Mahmud Muhammad, also known as Abu Bara’a and Abbas Mukhtar; Abubakar Abbas, alias Isah Adam and Mallam Mahmuda Al-Nigeri; Abdulrazak Umar, also known as Abu Khalifa and Abu Khalid; Yunusa Musa, alias Abu Yunusa Bin Musa; and Shamsu Adamu Sani, also known as Abu Itisar.

According to the prosecution, the defendants hail from Okene Local Government Area of Kogi State, Daura Local Government Area of Katsina State, and Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State.

Led in evidence by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Oyedepo Rotimi (SAN), the witness said the government’s refusal to negotiate with the terrorists informed the security operation that led to the rescue of the victims.

BBB said he became familiar with the defendants through his official duties, particularly Muhammad, whom he described as one of the founding members of Boko Haram and a former head of its security and intelligence unit.

He told the court that Muhammad left Boko Haram in 2012 alongside other members to establish Ansaru, a group he said was committed to promoting an ideology of Islamic governance in Nigeria and attacking foreign nationals.

The witness said Ansaru members believed foreign nationals were responsible for the deaths of Muslims abroad, a position he alleged motivated the group’s abductions and killings of foreigners.

He further told the court that the killing of seven foreign nationals by the group in 2014 led to its designation as a terrorist organisation by the United States, while Muhammad was declared a globally wanted terrorist.

According to BBB, Muhammad later assumed leadership of Ansaru and appointed the second defendant, Abbas, as head of operations.

The witness alleged that Muhammad led several kidnapping and killing operations, including an attack on the Emir of Potiskum, as well as an operation in which 17 military personnel and three civilians were killed.

He said Muhammad was arrested in 2025 and that the group’s response to the arrest of its leaders was to carry out attacks aimed at forcing the government to release them.

“When the first defendant was arrested, the second defendant identified high-profile operations to be carried out to ensure that he was released,” the witness told the court.

BBB alleged that on November 4, 2025, Ansaru members attacked the convoy of Jafaru Mohammed Ali, a member of the House of Representatives representing Agwara/Borgu Federal Constituency.

He said four military personnel were killed and four DSS personnel injured during the attack.

According to the witness, the group’s objective was to abduct the lawmaker, publicly humiliate him and use him as leverage to demand the release of Muhammad, Abbas and other detained members.

He added that the group also planned an attack on the Wawa military base in New Bussa, Niger State, because its members believed some of their detained colleagues were being held there.

After the alleged failure of the operation against the military base, Ansaru members reportedly relocated to the South-West, where they believed media organisations could help publicise their demands and increase pressure on the government.

How The Oriire Attack Unfolded

BBB, who said he participated in the investigation of the Oriire incident, alleged that Ansaru members carried out the attack and moved their captives to a secured location in a forest near the Old Oyo National Park.

He said the group subsequently submitted a list of 30 members, including its leaders, whom it wanted the Federal Government to release.

According to him, the terrorists threatened to kill the abducted students and teachers if the government rejected their demands.

The witness further alleged that the kidnappers resisted security efforts to rescue the victims, opening fire on security personnel and killing one of the captives.

He said the terrorists threatened to kill more victims if security agencies attempted another rescue operation.

BBB told the court that after two victims were killed, security operatives concluded that an offensive was necessary, citing what he described as the group’s history of killing innocent people.

He identified the third, fourth and fifth defendants as Ansaru members who allegedly communicated with some of the group’s commanders, including a commander who was holding the Oriire victims.

The witness maintained that the attack was part of a strategy allegedly established by the group’s leaders to carry out high-profile operations whenever senior members were arrested.

He said the strategy was intended to force the government to release detained leaders and other members.

According to BBB, the Federal Government rejected the demands despite the threats against the abducted victims.

“Security agencies were able to secure the release of the victims. But unfortunately, we lost security personnel, including a senior police officer and an Army officer. Two of the victims were also murdered prior to the rescue operation,” the witness told the court.

Further hearing in the case is scheduled to continue on Tuesday at 9 a.m. before Justice Salim Ibrahim.