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

Three convicts, Abdulrazak Umar, Yunusa Musa, and Shamsudin Sani were convicted and sentenced on Thursday, July 23, 2026.

The trio arraigned before Justice Salim Ibrahim of the Federal high Court Abuja, also pleaded guilty to being members of Darul Salam, an affiliate Ansaru, a proscribed terrorist organization.

The first and third defendant Abdulrazak Umar and Shamsudin Sani pleaded guilty to providing training, instructions, and inciting members of their WhatsApp group titled “The oneness of Allah is the Foundation of Peace”

Abdulrazak Umar also pleaded guilty to mining of Gold at streams in Chaza area, Suleja LGA, Niger State without lawful authorization.

However, the defendants pleaded not guilty to other charges as it affects them respectively.

Justice Salim ordered that the life sentence should start from the date of the convicts’ arrest.

Before the sentencing by Justice Salim Ibrahim, counsel for the defendants pleaded with the court to sentence them on liberal terms.

He added that they were first-time offenders and had pleaded guilty.Ibrahim pointed out that this showed that they were remorseful of their actions, and all the counts they were charged with are not related to the kidnapping.

He added that the convicts were married men who have children and have aged parents who are dependent on them.

He pleaded with the court to give them a second chance at life and sentence them on liberal terms.

Counsel for the prosecution, however, pointed out that the convicts were aware of the people on the battlefield, and as true Nigerians, they should have reported it to the authorities.

The federal government has arraigned the trio over their involvement in the kidnapping of school children and teachers in Oriire local government area of Oyo State, between January and May 2026.

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Rescued victims of human trafficking have recounted how they were lured from Nigeria with promises of jobs and a better life in Côte d’Ivoire, only to end up in forced labour, prostitution and s3xual exploitation. NigerianRelocation Services

The rescued victims include Monica, 17; Juliet, 18; Rejoice, 25; Joy, 22; Esther, and Monica, 38, who said traffickers exploited their desire for a better future with false promises of employment.

According to a statement issued on Thursday, July 23, 2026 by the founder of the Global Anti-Human Trafficking Organisation, Prosper Michael, the victims were rescued in a joint operation involving the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons and relevant authorities in Côte d’Ivoire.

Recounting her ordeal, Monica said she accepted a bakery job offer in Abuja before being taken through Lagos to Côte d’Ivoire.

“I informed my parents because I believed the offer was genuine. We later realised there were no jobs after we were locked in a room,” she said.

She added that the victims were instructed to tell anyone who contacted them that they were safe despite being forced to work.

“When I spoke to my mother, I started crying, and they immediately collected the phone from me. They kept deducting money from the little we earned without explaining why,” she said, adding that she and another victim eventually escaped with the help of local residents and contacted GAHTO.

Another survivor, Monica Tamah, said she travelled abroad hoping to provide for her family and fund her daughter’s education, only to be forced into prostitution.

“When we got there, we discovered there were no jobs. Instead, we were told we had been brought for prostitution and had to repay transportation debts through sex work,” she said, adding that she remained in captivity for about six months before she was rescued.

Monica claimed that she and other victims were forced to sleep with as many as 15 men daily.

“They made about 50,000 CFA francs every day from us, but we received little or nothing. I remained there for about six months before I was rescued,” she said.

GAHTO said its representative in Côte d’Ivoire carried out the rescue with support from local authorities and disclosed that three other victims from Benue State were rescued in a separate operation.

The organisation described the operations as a major breakthrough in its campaign against human trafficking and the protection of vulnerable Nigerians across West Africa. NigerianRelocation Services

“We urge Nigerians to verify overseas employment and migration offers through appropriate government channels, remain vigilant against suspicious recruiters and promptly report suspected trafficking cases to law enforcement agencies.

“We also call for stronger collaboration among governments, security agencies and international partners to dismantle trafficking networks, rescue victims and ensure perpetrators are brought to justice,” the statement added.

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A Louisiana pastor and author has been convicted of stealing over $340,000 from his congregations to fund his gambling and personal expenses.

Dale Sanders, 56, was found guilty of a 25-count indictment charging him with wire fraud, access device fraud, and obstruction of a federal investigation after a five-day jury trial last week, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

Sanders, of Kenner, withdrew funds held in one church’s bank accounts and transferred them to his own pocket to subsidize his lavish personal expenditures — including gambling, dining, and living expenses, prosecutors said.

Sanders worked as a pastor at the Fifth African Baptist Church in New Orleans and Second New Guide Missionary Baptist Church in Metairie, according to his social media.

He also used a church debit card for unauthorized personal transactions and received cash, goods, and services totaling over $340,000, officials said.

The fraud took place between April 2020 and April 2024, according to an indictment.

The cash-obsessed pastor also provided a falsified record in response to a grand jury subpoena, prosecutors detailed.

After Sanders was indicted in April, he posted a video to his social media accounts asking his congregants to “pray” for his “enemy.”

He thanked churchgoers for “calling, texting, seeing me in person, and telling me that you’re praying for me.”

“And believe this,” Sanders said. “I feel your prayers. God is already working and moving by his Spirit.”

“This is what you can do for me … I know you’re praying for me. But I need you to pray a Matthew 5:44 prayer. I need you to pray for my enemy.”

“The Bible says, ‘Pray for them that despitefully use you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my namesake,” he continued. “If you pray for my enemy, God will not only bless me, but he will deal with them.”

The pastor frequently posted videos on social media delivering sermons and singing during his church services.

He also authored the book, “Strut your Stutter,” urging people to “be peacock proud of whoever you are and whatever you’re working with.”

Sanders faces up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, up to three years of supervised release after serving time behind bars, and payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee per count.

He is to be sentenced on Oct. 13.

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