The Department of State Services (DSS) has commenced moves to challenge the life imprisonment sentences imposed on two convicted Ansaru terrorist commanders, arguing that the punishment is inadequate considering the scale and brutality of their crimes.

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday sentenced Mahmud Usman, popularly known as Abu Bara'a, the self-proclaimed Emir of Ansaru, and Abubakar Abba, alias Mahmud al-Nigeri, to life imprisonment after they pleaded guilty to a 32-count charge bordering on terrorism and related offences.

Despite securing the convictions, the DSS is dissatisfied with the sentence and has resolved to appeal the judgment in pursuit of the maximum punishment allowed by law.

A senior DSS official disclosed that the two convicts were key figures in the abduction of pupils and teachers in Oriire, Oyo State, during which the terrorists allegedly demanded their release as a condition for freeing the hostages.

The Service further alleged that two teachers were beheaded during the captivity to intensify pressure on the government, describing the killings as evidence of the terrorists' extreme brutality.

The DSS maintained that the heinous nature of the offences, the loss of innocent lives, and the trauma inflicted on victims and their families justify a stiffer sentence, insisting that justice can only be served through the maximum penalty provided by law.