Two suspected senior commanders of the Ansaru terrorist group, on Monday, pleaded guilty to 32 terrorism charges before the Federal High Court in Abuja after months of contesting the case.
The defendants, Mahmud Usman (also known as Abu Bara’a, Abbas and Mukhtar), identified by the prosecution as the self-styled Emir of Ansaru, and Abubakar Abba (also known as Mahmud al-Nigeri and Malam Mamuda), alleged to be the group’s deputy leader and chief of staff, dropped their earlier not-guilty plea to plead guilty on Monday before Judge Emeka Nwite.
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Their lawyer, Bala Dakum, told the court that, after consulting with the defendants, his clients had decided to abandon their earlier pleas and admit the charges.
“After consultation with the defendants, my lord, they have agreed and are ready to change their plea. We apply that the charge be read to them accordingly,” Mr Dakum said.
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The lawyer to the State Security Service (SSS), David Kaswe, did not oppose the application and urged the court to allow the 32 charges to be read again.
The court granted the request, after which both defendants pleaded guilty to all 32 counts.
The two defendants had pleaded not guilty when they were first arraigned by the SSS before the court on 11 September 2025.
They faced 32 charges of terrorism, terrorism financing, kidnapping for ransom, illegal mining, funding terrorism, fabricating improvised explosive devices and related offences.
The agency also alleged that they coordinated sleeper cells, orchestrated attacks and maintained links with Al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist groups operating across the Sahel and Maghreb regions.
During last year’s arraignment, Mr Usman pleaded guilty to one count of illegal mining, proceeds from which they allegedly used to finance terrorism. Judge Nwite convicted him on that count and sentenced him to 15 years’ imprisonment. He, however, pleaded not guilty to the remaining 31 counts.
At the time Mr Abba pleaded not guilty to all 32 counts, after which the court ordered both defendants remanded in SSS custody pending the conclusion of the trial.
The trial later stalled after defence lawyer Bala Dakum complained that SSS officials denied him access to the defendants to prepare their defence.
When proceedings resumed in March, the prosecution opened its case with testimony from an SSS operative identified by the codename ‘Triple A.’
Triple A told the court that the defendants confessed to receiving weapons training in Libya and maintained links with terrorist groups operating across the Sahel and Maghreb regions.
According to the witness, the suspects admitted receiving training in the manufacture of improvised explosive devices from instructors from Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria while in Libya.
The witness also testified that Mr Usman admitted leading Ansaru and that both defendants confessed to being members of the group. He further alleged that they admitted involvement in kidnappings, illegal mining and other terrorist activities.
At the last hearing on 9 July, Mr Abba informed the court that he wished to reconsider his not-guilty plea.
Judge Nwite adjourned proceedings until Monday (today) to enable him to make a final decision.
Guilty plea Vs plea for mercy
On Monday, both defendants changed their pleas and admitted the charges.
Both defendants pleaded guilty to each of the 32 counts read to them one after the other.
Mr Kaswe urged the court to convict them, citing Section 274 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, governs the procedure and legal effect when a defendant enters a plea of guilty.
The prosecution lawyer said the defendants’ guilty-plea was clear and unequivocal.
But Mr Dakum, the defence lawyer, urged the court to temper justice with mercy.
He said his clients had accepted responsibility for their actions and were genuinely remorseful.
The lawyer said Mr Usman, who is 50 years old and has 19 children, suffers from arthritis and hopes to return to school if given another chance.
He also told the court that Mr Abba, 34, has a wife and three children, suffers from arthritis and is the family’s breadwinner.
Mr Dakum further said the defendants claimed they were coerced into joining the terrorist group and that they were willing to assist security agencies with intelligence on terrorist networks, financing and operations.
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He argued that punishment should not only serve as retribution but also as a means of rehabilitation.
Mr Usman, one of the defendants, also spoke for himself and his co-defendant, apologising for their actions. He said they decided to plead guilty because they were remorseful and did not want to waste the court’s time.
He appealed for mercy, citing his health condition and family responsibilities.
In his judgement, the judge convicted the defendants on all 32 counts. He said he considered the allocutus by the defence lawyer and the plea by Mr Usman. He, however, imposed life imprisonment on the two defendants for counts 30 and 31 and other prison terms on the remaining counts.
Arrest
National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu announced the arrest of the defendants in August 2025.
He said they were captured in a high-risk, intelligence-led, multi-agency operation conducted between May and July 2025.
Mr Ribadu described the arrests as a major breakthrough against Ansaru, an Al-Qaeda-affiliated terror group, linked to several attacks and kidnappings across Nigeria.
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