The federal government will on Thursday arraign two top leaders of Ansaru, an Al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group, at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The globally wanted defendants are Mahmud Muhammed Usman (a.k.a. Abu Bara’a/Abbas Mukhtar) and his deputy, Abubakar Abba (a.k.a. Isah Adam/Mahmud Al-Nigeri).
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They will face trial before judge Emeka Nwite on 32 counts of terrorism.
The federal government, through M.B. Abubakar, the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, filed the charges on 4 September, on behalf of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi.
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One of the counts accused Mr Usman, from Okene Local Government Area of Kogi State, and Mr Abba, from Daura LGA of Katsina State, of aiding and abetting terrorism between 2013 and 2015.
They were also accused of conspiring and agreeing to be part of the formation and leadership of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimeena Fii Bilaadis Sudan (Ansaru), a proscribed terrorist organisation in Nigeria.
The offences are said to be contrary to and punishable under Section 17 of the Terrorism (Prevention) (Amendment) Act, 2013.
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Counts three and four accused the defendants of receiving training in weapons handling and in the fabrication of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) from various terrorist camps.
Count five alleged they committed an act preparatory to terrorism by receiving war tactics training from Jama’atu Nusratil Islami Wal Muslimin (JNIM), a terrorist group in Mali.
Count seven accused them of contributing to the attack on Wawa Cantonment of the Nigerian Army in Kainji, New Bussa, Borgu LGA of Niger State, in 2022, which resulted in mass casualties.
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Their arrest
PREMIUM TIMES reported that two high-profile terrorism suspects were captured alive following a high-risk, intelligence-led, multi-agency operation conducted between May and July 2025.
The National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, announced the arrest during a press conference in mid-August 2025.
Mr Ribadu described the arrests as a major breakthrough, saying they marked the beginning of the end of impunity for terrorist leaders in Nigeria. He added that the men had long been on both national and international terror watch lists.
The two were identified as among the most wanted Ansaru commanders.
Ansaru, an Al-Qaeda-affiliated group, has been linked to numerous high-profile attacks and kidnappings across the country.
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