The Department of State Services (DSS) on Thursday re-arraigned five men accused of involvement in the May 15 kidnapping of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

The suspects were also accused of complicity in the subsequent killing of two of the victims.

They were re-arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja on a seven-count amended charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/438/2026, filed by the DSS on behalf of the Federal Government.

The defendants were identified as 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 DSS accused the five men of being members of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan (ANSARU), which the prosecution described as a terrorist organisation.

The charges relate to allegations arising from the kidnapping of the pupils and teachers in Oriire and the deaths of two victims.

However, all five defendants pleaded not guilty to the seven counts after the charges were read to them by the court registrar.

The case will now proceed with the defendants maintaining their denial of the allegations.