DSS says the two senior commanders pleaded guilty to terrorism-related offences linked to deadly attacks, high-profile kidnappings and the 2022 Kuje jailbreak…..
Two senior commanders of the proscribed terrorist group Ansaru have pleaded guilty to a 32-count terrorism and kidnapping charge filed against them by the Department of State Services (DSS).
The suspects, identified as Mahmud al-Nigeri (Mallam Mamuda) and Mahmud Muhammad Usman (Abu Baraa), were arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja in September 2025 following their arrest by security operatives.
According to the charges, the pair played key roles in several major terrorist operations across Nigeria, including the July 2022 attack on the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Kuje, Abuja, which resulted in the escape of more than 600 inmates.
The DSS also accused the defendants of participating in the 2022 assault on the Nigerian Army’s Wawa Cantonment in Kainji, Niger State, an attack that reportedly caused significant casualties among security personnel.
Investigators alleged that both men received specialised training in weapons handling, guerrilla warfare and the fabrication of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) at terrorist camps, including facilities in Mali.
Security agencies further claimed that Mamuda underwent additional terrorist training in Libya between 2013 and 2015 under foreign jihadist instructors from Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria.
Beyond the attacks, prosecutors accused the defendants of orchestrating several high-profile kidnappings, including the 2013 abduction of French engineer Francis Collomp and the 2019 kidnapping of Alhaji Musa Umar Uba, the Magajin Garin Daura.
They also face allegations of planning an attack on a uranium facility in Niger State and carrying out a series of armed robberies allegedly used to finance terrorist activities.
Arrest described as major counterterrorism breakthrough
The arrest of the two men was announced in August 2025 by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, who described them as the top leadership of the Ansaru terrorist network.
Ribadu identified Abu Baraa as the group’s self-proclaimed leader and coordinator of multiple terrorist sleeper cells across Nigeria, while Mamuda was named as his deputy and head of the “Mahmudawa” cell operating around Kainji National Park, stretching across parts of Niger and Kwara states into neighbouring Benin Republic.
According to the NSA, the suspects had remained on Nigeria’s most-wanted list for years and were linked to numerous attacks on civilians, security personnel and critical national infrastructure.
He said investigations connected the pair to the Kuje prison attack, the assault on the Niger uranium facility, the abduction of French national Francis Collomp, the kidnapping of the Magajin Garin Daura and the abduction of the Emir of Wawa.
Ribadu also alleged that the group maintained operational ties with extremist networks across Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, describing the arrests as one of Nigeria’s most significant counterterrorism successes in recent years.
Ansaru’s origins
Ansaru emerged in 2012 as a breakaway faction of Boko Haram, initially presenting itself as a less extreme alternative before evolving into a violent insurgent group targeting security personnel, government facilities and civilian communities.
According to security authorities, the group later established links with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and expanded its operations through urban sleeper cells and forest hideouts, particularly around Kainji National Park and surrounding areas extending into the Benin Republic.
