LAGOS, NIGERIA, Sept. 17 (Reuters) - Nigeria's state security service on Thursday opened the trial of five suspected members of Islamist group Ansaru over the abduction of pupils and teachers from schools in southwestern Oyo state.
• The defendants — Mahmud Muhammad, Abubakar Abbas, Abdulrazak Umar, Yunusa Musa and Shamsu Sani — pleaded not guilty to seven terrorism-related counts before Federal High Court Judge Salim Ibrahim in Abuja.
• They face sentences ranging from 20 years to life imprisonment if convicted. If prosecutors prove that deaths resulted from the kidnapping, they could face the death penalty, under Nigeria's 2022 anti-terrorism law.
• The first prosecution witness, identified only as "AAA", told the court that gunmen entered the schools on May 15, firing shots before taking seven teachers and 39 pupils into a forest, where they were held for 56 days.
• Prosecutor Rotimi Oyedepo sought protection for witnesses, citing the case's sensitivity. Defence lawyer Bala Dakum did not object but requested permission to see witnesses during cross-examination. The judge granted both requests.
• Mass kidnappings for ransom have spread across Nigeria, though large school raids have been less common in the southwest.
• In July, the presidency said security forces had rescued 39 pupils and six teachers and arrested eight suspected kidnappers.
• In May, one teacher was killed in captivity and security personnel were wounded by explosives during an attempted rescue.
(Reporting by Camillus Eboh. Writing by Ben Ezeamalu; Editing by Toby Chopra)
