The Federal Government on Saturday confirmed the arrest of two top leaders of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan, a terror group linked to Al-Qaeda, after a secret counter-terrorism operation that lasted for months.
The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, announced this at a press briefing in Abuja, saying the arrests were made between May and July 2025 through joint efforts of intelligence and security agencies.
Those captured are Mahmud Muhammad Usman, widely known as Abu Bara’a, Abbas or Mukhtar, who called himself the Emir of Ansaru, and his deputy, Mahmud al-Nigeri, also called Mallam Mamuda.
Ribadu described Abu Bara as the brain behind several terrorist sleeper cells across Nigeria, adding that he financed operations through high-profile kidnappings and armed robberies.
He explained further that Mamuda controlled the “Mahmudawa” cell operating around Kainji National Park across Niger and Kwara States into the Benin Republic. Ribadu said Mamuda had been trained in Libya between 2013 and 2015 by jihadist instructors from Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria, where he specialised in handling weapons and making improvised explosives.
“The targeted operation, which was conducted between May and July 2025, led to the capture of two top Ansaru leaders who have been responsible for masterminding several terrorist attacks against Nigeria over the past years. The first is Mahmud Muhammad Usman (aka Abu Bara’a/Abbas/Mukhtar), the self-styled Emir of Ansaru.
“He is the coordinator of various terrorist sleeper cells across Nigeria. He is also the mastermind of several high-profile kidnappings and armed robberies used to finance terrorism over the years.
“The second is Mahmud al-Nigeri (aka Mallam Mamuda), Abu Bara’s proclaimed Chief of Staff and Deputy. He is the leader of the so-called Mahmudawa cell hiding out in and around the Kainji National Park, straddling Niger and Kwara States up to the Benin Republic. Mamuda trained in Libya between 2013 and 2015 under foreign jihadist instructors from Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria, specialising in weapons handling and IED fabrication,” Ribadu stated.
The NSA revealed that both men had been on Nigeria’s most wanted list for years and were also declared wanted internationally. He said they were behind several deadly attacks including the 2022 Kuje prison break, the attack on Niger’s uranium facility, the 2013 abduction of French engineer Francis Collomp, and the 2019 kidnapping of Alhaji Musa Umar Uba, Magajin Garin Daura.
“They were also behind the abduction of the Emir of Wawa and they maintain active links with terrorist groups across the Maghreb, particularly in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. The two men, who are wanted internationally, are currently in custody,” Ribadu added.
According to him, the arrests have dismantled Ansaru’s central command structure. He disclosed that during the operation, security forces also recovered materials and digital evidence now undergoing forensic analysis.
“This strike has effectively dismantled its central command while paving the path for the complete annihilation of the group. Let me use this opportunity to inform the public that, in the course of the operation, our security forces captured and recovered valuable actionable intelligence. These include a cache of materials and digital evidence which are all now undergoing forensic analysis. The findings from the analysis are expected to support our ongoing efforts to exploit this success, bring them to justice, and completely annihilate the remnants of Ansaru networks and disrupt their foreign collaborators,” Ribadu said.
He also urged Nigerians to remain alert and provide timely information to the authorities.
