The Federal Government of Nigeria is set to arraign two senior leaders of the Ansaru terrorist network at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday.
The group is affiliated with Al-Qaeda and has been linked to multiple attacks and kidnappings across Nigeria.
According to court documents, the defendants — Mahmud Muhammed Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a or Abbas Mukhtar, and his deputy, Abubakar Abba, also called Isah Adam or Mahmud Al-Nigeri — face 32 counts related to terrorism. Justice Emeka Nwite will preside over the case.
The Director of Public Prosecutions, M.B. Abubakar, acting on behalf of the Attorney-General of the Federation, filed the charges, which allege that the suspects aided and abetted terrorism between 2013 and 2015, and conspired to serve as top commanders of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimeena Fii Bilaadis Sudan (JAMBS/Ansaru), a proscribed terrorist organisation in Nigeria.
“The accused committed offences contrary to Section 17 of the Terrorism (Prevention) (Amendment) Act, 2013,” the charge states.
Additional counts accuse the defendants of receiving weapons and explosives training in terrorist camps, undergoing military training with the Mali-based group Jama’atu Nusratil Islami Wal Muslimin, and participating in the 2022 attack on the Wawa Cantonment of the Nigerian Army in Niger State, which caused mass casualties.
The suspects were captured during a high-risk, intelligence-driven operation between May and July 2025. National Security Adviser Mallam Nuhu Ribadu announced their arrests on August 16, describing the men as long-standing figures on both national and international terror watch lists.
“This operation demonstrates our commitment to dismantling terrorist networks and ensuring that perpetrators are brought to justice,” Ribadu said during the announcement.
Abu Bara’a hails from Okene Local Government Area of Kogi State, while Mahmud Al-Nigeri is from Daura Local Government Area of Katsina State. Both will face the full weight of the law as the case proceeds in court.
