FG Witness Drops Bomb: Al-Qaeda-Backed Ansaru Terrorists Struck Oyo Schools to Free Leaders!

A Federal High Court in Abuja has commenced proceedings regarding the May 15 attacks on schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, where the proscribed terrorist group Ansaru is alleged to have received support from Al-Qaeda. A prosecution witness, identified as DSS operative BBB, testified that the attacks were orchestrated to exert pressure on the Federal Government to secure the release of Ansaru's detained leaders, who are currently held by the Department of State Services (DSS).

During his testimony as the second prosecution witness in the trial of five men accused of involvement in these attacks, BBB detailed how the attackers kidnapped students and teachers. They then presented a list of 30 members and leaders whose release they demanded, threatening to execute the victims if their demands were not met. The defendants named in the trial are Mahmud Muhammad (also known as Abu Bara’a), Abubakar Abbas (also known as Isah Adam), Abdulrazak Umar (also known as Abu Khalifa), Yunusa Musa (also known as Abu Yunusa Bin Musa), and Shamsu Sani (also known as Abu Itisar).

Led in evidence by Oyedepo Rotimi, the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, BBB further elaborated on the security agencies' response. Following the government's refusal to negotiate with Ansaru, a rescue operation was launched. The witness identified Muhammad, the first defendant, as a founding member of Boko Haram who previously served as its head of security and intelligence. Muhammad reportedly departed Boko Haram in 2012 to co-establish Ansaru, a group dedicated to establishing Islamic governance in Nigeria and targeting foreign nationals. He later ascended to Ansaru's leadership, appointing Abbas as its head of operations.

BBB alleged Muhammad's involvement in several other attacks, including an assault on the Emir of Potiskum, and a separate operation that resulted in the deaths of 17 military personnel and three civilians. Muhammad was arrested in 2025, and subsequent plans by the group aimed at securing the release of their detained leaders included an attack on the convoy of House of Representatives member Jafaru Ali on November 4, 2025. This attack tragically killed four military personnel and injured four DSS operatives, with the intention of abducting the lawmaker to negotiate for the release of their leaders.

The group also reportedly planned to attack the Wawa military base in New Bussa, Niger State, believing their members were being held there. When this plan failed, Ansaru shifted its operations to the South-West, hoping to leverage media coverage from their attacks to pressure the government. Regarding the Oriire attacks, BBB stated that the abducted victims were taken to a forest near the Old Oyo National Park, where the demands for the release of detained members were reiterated.

Security operatives initiated an offensive after the attackers murdered two victims and threatened further killings if the rescue operation persisted. In a strategic move to halt further fatalities, security agents arrested the wife of Abbas and relatives of other commanders. This intervention proved effective in stopping the killings, allowing security operatives to rescue the remaining victims. BBB linked the third, fourth, and fifth defendants to Ansaru through communications with its commanders, including the individual who held the abducted victims. Tragically, a senior police officer and an Army officer died before the victims were successfully rescued. The trial is ongoing before Justice Salim Ibrahim, with the next hearing scheduled for Tuesday at 9 AM.