The terrorists responsible for the abduction of teachers and schoolchildren from three educational institutions in the Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State have reportedly tabled a four-point demand as a condition to release their captives.
The criminal group, which targeted schools in the Alawusa, Yawota, and Esinele communities on May 15, is demanding the immediate freedom of their detained commanders, a ransom payment, two operational Hilux vehicles, and the enforcement of Sharia-related laws.
Reports indicate that the two specific commanders they want freed are Mahmud Usman, widely known as Abbas Mukhtar or Abu Bara’a, and his second-in-command, Abubakar Abba, who goes by the aliases Isah Adam, Mahmud Al-Nigeri, or Mallam Mamuda.
The two individuals head Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimeena Fii Bilaadis Sudan (JAMBS), a Boko Haram breakaway faction better known as Ansaru.
They are accused of facilitating and supporting various terrorist actions across Nigeria from 2013 to 2015.
Furthermore, they have been linked to the high-profile Kuje prison break that occurred in 2022.
The suspects were apprehended between May and July 2025.
They are currently facing terrorism charges in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CR/464/2025 before Justice Emeka Nwite at the Federal High Court in Abuja, with the judicial proceedings having commenced on January 15, 2026.
Usman was previously handed a 15-year prison sentence by Justice Emeka Nwite on September 11, 2025, after entering a guilty plea for a single count of illegal mining.
He confessed that the proceeds from the operation were channeled into purchasing weapons for kidnapping and terrorism.
However, he maintained his innocence regarding 31 other counts and is still being held in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) while awaiting trial on those specific charges.
Similarly, his deputy, Abba, pleaded not guilty to all 32 counts brought against him and is standing trial before the exact same court.
Parallel reports reveal that the abductors are also demanding a ransom of ₦1 billion, which they want deposited into a bank account hosted in the Republic of Benin.
In reaction to these developments, security experts have raised alarms, warning that giving in to the demands to release these high-level commanders would present severe dangers to Nigeria’s national security.
Meanwhile, the Oyo State Government has chosen to stay silent regarding the demands and the progress of any talks.
The Commissioner for Information, Dotun Oyelade, explained that revealing the administration’s tactical approach would be “unhelpful” while active measures to rescue the victims safely are still being executed.
On May 17, just forty-eight hours after the raid, the terrorists published a video clip depicting the execution of one of the captured educators, Michael Oyedokun, who taught mathematics at Community High School, Ahoro-Esinele.
Governor Seyi Makinde later verified the tragic murder in an official communication on Monday, May 18, expressing that the loss was profoundly painful.
