A Federal High Court in Abuja has heard that Al-Qaeda supported members of Ansaru in the 15 May 2026 attacks on schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
A prosecution witness, identified as BBB, gave the testimony on Monday during the trial of five men accused of involvement in the attacks. The witness said the group carried out the operation to pressure the Federal Government into releasing detained members.
According to the witness, the attackers kidnapped students and teachers and submitted a list of 30 alleged leaders and members they wanted released. They threatened to kill the hostages if the government failed to meet their demands.
The witness said security agencies later rescued the victims after the government refused to negotiate with the group.
Five men face trial
The defendants are Mahmud Muhammad, also known as Abu Bara’a and Abbas Mukhtar; Abubakar Abbas, also known as Isah Adam and Mallam Mahmuda Al-Nigeri; Abdulrazak Umar, also known as Abu Khalifa and Abu Khalid; Yunusa Musa, also known as Abu Yunusa Bin Musa; and Shamsu Adamu Sani, also known as Abu Itisar.
The prosecution identified their places of origin as Okene Local Government Area of Kogi State, Daura Local Government Area of Katsina State and Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State.
The Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Oyedepo Rotimi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, led the witness through his testimony.
Witness links defendant to Boko Haram
The witness said he knew the first defendant, Muhammad, through his official duties. He described Muhammad as one of the founding members of Boko Haram and said he had served as the group’s head of security and intelligence.
He also told the court that Muhammad left Boko Haram in 2012 and helped establish Ansaru.
According to the witness, the group sought to promote its ideology of Islamic governance in Nigeria and carried out attacks against foreign nationals.
The testimony forms part of the ongoing prosecution of the five defendants over the Oriire attacks. The allegations presented in court remain subject to the judicial process.
