Breaking: Court Sentences Three to Life Imprisonment over Oyo School Kidnap

The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced three men connected to the abduction of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State to life imprisonment.

Justice Salim Ibrahim handed down the sentence after the convicts pleaded guilty to charges brought against them, ordering that their life imprisonment should take effect from the date they were arrested.

Before the sentence was pronounced, counsel to the convicts appealed to the court to temper justice with mercy, arguing that the defendants had accepted responsibility for their actions and had no previous criminal records.

The defence lawyer told the court that the three men were first-time offenders whose decision to plead guilty reflected genuine remorse.

He also argued that the offences for which they were convicted were not directly connected to the actual kidnapping of the victims.

In addition, the lawyer urged the court to consider their personal circumstances, noting that the convicts were family men with dependants.

According to the defence, the men had wives, children and elderly parents who relied on them for survival.

The lawyer therefore pleaded with the court to give them “a second chance at life” by imposing a more lenient punishment.

The prosecution, however, opposed the request, insisting that the convicts could not escape severe punishment because they had prior knowledge of those responsible for the criminal operation.

The prosecution argued that rather than report the information to security agencies, the defendants chose to conceal it, thereby aiding the commission of the crime.

After considering the submissions of both parties, Justice Ibrahim sentenced the three convicts to life imprisonment, ruling that the jail term would commence from the date of their arrest.

The judgment marks another conviction arising from the abduction of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, a case that drew widespread public concern over insecurity and attacks on schools.

Further details of the judgment are expected.