A witness for the Department of State Services has told the Federal High Court in Abuja that two commanders of the Ansaru terrorist group standing trial received weapons training in Libya.
The witness, whose identity was concealed for security reasons, testified on Monday in the ongoing trial of Mahmud Usman and Abubakar Abba.
Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a, and his deputy Abba, popularly called Mahmud Al-Nigeri or Isah Adam, are facing a 32-count charge brought against them by the Federal Government through the DSS .
Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Mr. David Kaswe, the DSS operative told the court that the defendants confessed to training in Libya under foreign instructors.
According to the witness, their trainers were from Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria. He added that the defendants admitted it was these instructors who taught them how to manufacture and use improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
The witness disclosed that the first defendant was arrested after prolonged intelligence gathering which identified him as the leader of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis Sudan (Ansaru), a proscribed terrorist organisation.
The second defendant, Abba, was arrested by DSS operatives at Ugwan Musa Bypass in Kaduna North Local Government Area of Kaduna State, the court heard.
The witness told the court that the defendants not only admitted to being members of Ansaru but also confessed their participation in various terror attacks, armed robbery and illegal mining activities across the North-West, North-Central, South-West, as well as in Edo and Delta States.
He said the defendants revealed that they founded a cell of the terrorist sect in Jigawa after several meetings held in 2012.
The witness further testified that the second defendant admitted his participation in an attack on a Nigerian Army formation in Wawa in 2020, which allegedly resulted in the death of several soldiers.
According to the witness, the defendants also confessed to kidnapping Alhaji Musa Umar Uba, an in-law of former President Muhammadu Buhari, as well as an immigration officer and a customs officer.
He added that the second defendant said he swore allegiance to Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), which allegedly supplied the group with arms and ammunition.
However, an attempt by the prosecution counsel to tender what he said were confessional statements of the defendants was resisted by their lawyer, Mr. Bala Dakum.
The defence lawyer challenged the admissibility of the statements, which he insisted were not voluntarily made. Dakum alleged that his clients were coerced into admitting to the commission of crimes.
Following this contention, trial Justice Emeka Nwite adjourned the case until April 13. He ordered a trial-within-trial to ascertain whether the confessional statements the prosecution sought to tender in evidence were made voluntarily.
In the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/464/2025, the Federal Government alleged that Usman, from Okene Local Government Area of Kogi State, and Abba, from Daura Local Government Area of Katsina State, aided and abetted terrorist attacks that occurred in the country between 2013 and 2015 .
The court was told that the defendants conspired and agreed to serve as top commanders of Ansaru, a proscribed organisation in Nigeria that has links with the Al Qaeda terrorist network.
Usman has already been sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of illegal mining in September 2025 . He admitted before the court that he engaged in illegal mining activities and used the proceeds to acquire arms that aided his terrorism and kidnapping activities. He denied other allegations levelled against him.
The second defendant, Abba, pleaded not guilty to the entire charge.
The arrest of the two terror commanders was announced in August 2025 by National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, who disclosed that they had been on national and international terror watch lists .
The National Human Rights Commission has called for swift trials of the terrorist leaders, describing their capture as a significant victory in the fight against terrorism .
Ansaru, a breakaway faction of Boko Haram, has been linked to several high-profile attacks and kidnappings across the country, including the 2022 attack on Wawa Cantonment of the Nigerian Army in New-Bussa, Niger State, which resulted in mass casualties .
