The Department of State Services (DSS) has filed multiple terrorism charges against two commanders of the Ansaru terrorist group, an Al-Qaeda-linked organization.
Mahmud Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a or Abbas/Mukhtar, the self-styled Emir of Ansaru, and Mahmud al-Nigeri, aka Malam Mamuda, Bara’s deputy and chief of staff, were recently arrested during operations by security forces.
The two suspects are facing charges bordering on leading the terror organization, financing its activities, recruiting fighters, and coordinating violent attacks across Nigeria.
According to the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, Abu Bara’a is the mastermind behind several high-profile kidnappings and armed robberies used to fund terrorism, while Malam Mamuda trained in Libya under foreign jihadist instructors, specializing in weapons handling and Improvised Explosive Device (IED) fabrication.
The suspects were linked to several attacks, including the 2022 Kuje prison break, where over 600 inmates escaped, and the abduction of French engineer Francis Collomp in Katsina in 2013.
Ribadu described their arrest as a turning point in the fight against terrorism, emphasizing that the suspects have networks across Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. Their arraignment before the Federal High Court in Abuja is expected soon.
