Department of State Services (DSS) has charged two senior figures of Ansaru, the Al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group, with multiple terrorism offences.
Gatekeepers News reports that the accused, Mahmud Usman (also known as Abu Bara’a, Abbas, or Mukhtar), Ansaru’s self-proclaimed emir, and Mahmud al-Nigeri (popularly called Malam Mamuda), his deputy and chief of staff, were recently captured in security operations.
They now face allegations of heading the group, funding its activities, recruiting militants, and organising violent attacks across Nigeria.
According to the DSS, the investigation was fast-tracked to enable a swift prosecution. The agency’s director-general stressed that the case would be pursued with professionalism, justice, and respect for human rights.
The suspects are expected to appear before the Federal High Court in Abuja in the coming days. Ansaru militants were linked to the July 2022 Kuje prison break in Abuja, during which more than 600 inmates, including 64 Boko Haram suspects, escaped.
National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu identified the arrested commanders as central figures in orchestrating the jailbreak.
Authorities describe Abu Bara as the mastermind behind terrorist sleeper cells across Nigeria, as well as a key architect of kidnappings and armed robberies used to bankroll insurgency.
His deputy, Malam Mamuda, reportedly underwent training in Libya between 2013 and 2015 under jihadist instructors from Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria, specialising in weapons handling and IED construction.
The two men have also been linked to high-profile abductions, including the 2013 kidnapping of French engineer Francis Collomp in Katsina, the 2019 abduction of Musa Uba (Magajin Garin Daura), and the kidnapping of the Emir of Wawa.
Describing their arrest as a significant breakthrough, Ribadu revealed that the duo maintained operational networks across Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.
