The Department of State Services has filed terrorism charges against two top leaders of Ansaru, an Al-Qaeda-linked group, accusing them of planning violent attacks and masterminding the 2022 Kuje prison break.
The suspects, identified as Mahmud Usman, also called Abu Bara’a, Abbas or Mukhtar, said to be the Emir of Ansaru, and his deputy, Mahmud al-Nigeri, also known as Malam Mamuda, were captured during recent security operations.
According to the DSS, the charges against them include “leading a terrorist organisation, funding its activities, recruiting members, and planning violent operations across the country.” Their arraignment before the Federal High Court in Abuja is expected soon.
National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, revealed that the men were directly involved in the July 2022 Kuje prison attack where over 600 inmates, including Boko Haram suspects, escaped.
“Abu Bara was the coordinator of terrorist sleeper cells across Nigeria and the mastermind of several high-profile kidnappings and armed robberies used to finance terrorism,” Ribadu said.
On Mamuda, Ribadu explained that he trained in Libya between 2013 and 2015 under jihadists from Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria, specialising in handling weapons and making explosives.
The NSA further linked them to the 2013 abduction of French engineer Francis Collomp in Katsina, the 2019 kidnapping of Musa Uba, Magajin Garin Daura, and the abduction of the Emir of Wawa.
Describing their capture as a major step for Nigeria’s security efforts, Ribadu added: “Their arrest is a turning point. They maintained strong terrorist networks in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.”
