Two senior commanders of the proscribed terrorist group Ansaru, Mammuda and Abu Baraa, have pleaded guilty to a 32-count charge bordering on terrorism and kidnapping after their arrest by the Department of State Services (DSS).
The duo, who were arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja in September 2025, admitted to charges linked to several terrorist activities and high-profile kidnappings across Nigeria.
According to the prosecution, the suspects participated in the 2022 attack on the Nigerian Army’s Wawa Cantonment in Kainji, Niger State, which resulted in heavy casualties.
They were also accused of receiving specialised training in weapons handling, war tactics, and the fabrication of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) at terrorist camps, including training in Mali. Security agencies further alleged that Mammuda underwent advanced training in Libya between 2013 and 2015 under foreign jihadist instructors.
The DSS also accused the pair of masterminding the July 2022 attack on the Kuje Correctional Centre, which led to the escape of more than 600 inmates.
Investigators further linked them to the planned attack on the Niger uranium facility and several kidnappings, including the 2013 abduction of French engineer Francis Collomp.
Other allegations include the 2019 kidnapping of Alhaji Musa Umar Uba, the Magajin Garin Daura, as well as multiple armed robbery operations allegedly carried out to finance terrorist activities.
Arrest and Investigation
The National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, announced the arrest of the two men in August 2025, describing them as key leaders of the Ansaru terrorist network.
Ribadu identified Abu Baraa, also known as Mahmud Muhammad Usman, as the group’s self-styled Emir and coordinator of terrorist sleeper cells across Nigeria. He alleged that Abu Baraa masterminded several high-profile kidnappings and armed robberies used to fund terrorism.
The second suspect, Mahmud al-Nigeri, popularly known as Mallam Mammuda, was identified as Abu Baraa’s deputy and chief of staff. According to the NSA, Mammuda led the “Mahmudawa” cell operating in and around Kainji National Park, spanning parts of Niger and Kwara states and extending into the Benin Republic.
The NSA said Mammuda received terrorist training in Libya between 2013 and 2015 under instructors from Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria, specialising in weapons handling and IED production.
Ribadu noted that both men had remained on Nigeria’s most-wanted list for years and were allegedly responsible for multiple attacks on civilians, security personnel and critical infrastructure.
He said the suspects were linked to the 2022 Kuje prison break, the planned attack on the Niger uranium facility, the 2013 kidnapping of French engineer Francis Collomp, the 2019 abduction of Alhaji Musa Umar Uba, and the kidnapping of the Emir of Wawa.
The NSA further alleged that the duo maintained operational ties with terrorist groups across the Maghreb, particularly in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, adding that their arrest represented one of Nigeria’s most significant counterterrorism successes.
According to Ribadu, the capture of Ansaru’s leader and deputy commander dealt the most decisive blow to the terrorist organisation since its emergence.
About Ansaru
Ansaru emerged in January 2012 as a splinter faction of Boko Haram, publicly presenting itself in Kano as a more “humane alternative.” However, the group soon became notorious for attacks on security personnel, civilian communities and government facilities.
Authorities say Ansaru openly adopted the setting sun emblem associated with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), signalling its ideological and operational alignment with global jihadist networks.
Over the years, the group established urban sleeper cells and forest hideouts across northern Nigeria, particularly around Kainji National Park, where it operated across Niger and Kwara states and into neighbouring Benin Republic.
