A prosecution witness, identified as ‘BBB’, told Justice Salim Ibrahim that after kidnapping students and teachers during the attacks, the terrorists submitted to the FG a list of 30 names of their leaders and members, demanding their release or the victims would be killed.
The witness testified as the second prosecution witness in the trial of five alleged ANSARU members accused of complicity in the Oriire attacks.
The defendants are Mahmud Muhammad (aka Abu Bara’a, Abbas Mukhtar); Abubakar Abbas (aka Isah Adam, Mallam Mahmuda Al-Nigeri); Abdulrazak Umar (aka Abu Khalifa/Abu Khalid); Yunusa Musa (aka Abu Yunusa Bin Musa), and Shamsu Adamu Sani (aka Abu Itisar).
According to the prosecution, they are from Okene LGA, Kogi State; Daura LGA, Katsina State; and Suleja LGA, Niger State.
Led in evidence by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Oyedepo Rotimi (SAN), BBB said the operation by security agents, which led to the victims’ rescue, followed the FG’s refusal to negotiate with the terrorists or yield to their demands.
The witness said he knew the five defendants in the course of his official duties, particularly Muhammad, whom he knew in Maiduguri as one of the founding fathers of Boko Haram and its former Head of Security and Intelligence.
He said Muhammad, whose father is from Okene in Kogi State and mother from Borno State, was among those who left Boko Haram in 2012 to form ANSARU, to propagate their ideology of establishing Islamic governance in the country and attacking foreign nationals.
The witness said the group’s members believed that foreign nationals were killing their Muslim brothers abroad, hence their decision to kidnap and kill foreigners.
He recalled that the group’s killing of seven foreigners in 2014 led the United States to designate ANSARU a terrorist group and declare Muhammad a globally wanted terrorist.
BBB said Muhammad led a series of kidnapping and killing operations after taking over the leadership of ANSARU and named the second defendant (Abbas) as Head of Operations.
The witness said: “He (Mahmud Muhammad) led the attack on the Emir of Potiskum. Seventeen military officers and three civilians were also killed in one of the operations he carried out.
“He was arrested in 2025. It is part of their ideology that once any of their leaders is arrested, they will do anything to ensure his release.
“When the first defendant was arrested, the second defendant identified high-profile operations to be carried out to ensure that he is released.
“On 4 November 2025, they attacked the convoy of House of Representatives member Jafaru Mohammed Ali, representing Agwara/Borgu, killing four military personnel and injuring four Department of State Services (DSS) personnel.
“The attack was meant to kidnap him, humiliate him publicly and negotiate the release of their leaders, among whom are the first and second defendants, who were in custody.
“They also planned to attack the Wawa military base in New Bussa, Niger State, because they thought their members were being kept there.
“When the attack on Wawa failed, members of ANSARU strategically relocated to the South West, where they believed media houses would help amplify their demand for the release of the first and second defendants and other detained members”.
The witness, who said he was aware of the Oriire attacks, added that he was part of those who investigated the case.
BBB said: “The attacks were carried out by members of the ANSARU group. When they carried out the attack, they moved the victims to a secured location in a forest close to Old Oyo National Park.
“They made a demand and submitted a list of 30 members, including their leaders, to the government, warning that if their demands were not met, they would kill the victims.
“They were very hostile. The security agencies later launched an offensive at the forest. They shot at the security operatives and slaughtered one of the victims and threatened to kill others if there were any attempt to rescue them”.
The witness said security operatives launched the rescue operation after the terrorists killed two of the victims, knowing that ANSARU members had a history of reckless killings.
Describing how he knew the third, fourth and fifth defendants, the witness said: “They are members of the ANSARU group that were in communication with some of the commanders, particularly the one holding the Oriire victims”.
He stated that ANSARU members carried out the Oriire attacks in furtherance of an ideology set by the leaders – the first and second defendants – that if their top leaders were arrested, members should carry out a series of attacks to force the FG to release them.
BBB said the attackers pressed the government to release their leaders, but the FG refused to negotiate.
He added: “Security agencies were able to secure the release of the victims. But unfortunately, we lost security personnel, including a senior police officer and an Army officer”.
Hearing continues today.
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