DSS charges top Ansaru leaders over terrorism, Kuje prison break roles

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The Department of State Services (DSS) has filed terrorism-related charges against two high-ranking leaders of Ansaru, a terrorist group with links to Al-Qaeda, over their alleged involvement in violent incidents across the country.

The individuals in question are Mahmud Usman also known by the aliases Abu Bara’a, Abbas, and Mukhtar who is identified as the group’s leader, and his deputy, Mahmud al-Nigeri, also referred to as Malam Mamuda. Both men were recently apprehended during intelligence-led operations.

According to the DSS, the accusations against the pair include overseeing a terrorist organization, financing its operations, recruiting members, and orchestrating coordinated attacks across Nigeria.

They are expected to be formally charged at the Federal High Court in Abuja in the coming days.

National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu revealed that the suspects played a key role in the July 2022 assault on Kuje Correctional Facility, during which over 600 inmates, including Boko Haram operatives, escaped custody.

Providing further insight, Ribadu said: “Abu Bara was the coordinator of terrorist sleeper cells across Nigeria and the mastermind of several high-profile kidnappings and armed robberies used to finance terrorism.”

Regarding Mamuda, Ribadu disclosed that he underwent military training in Libya between 2013 and 2015, where he learned weapon handling and bomb-making under the guidance of jihadists from Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria.

The two men have also been linked to several high-profile kidnappings, including the 2013 abduction of French engineer Francis Collomp in Katsina, the 2019 kidnapping of Musa Uba (Magajin Garin Daura), and the abduction of the Emir of Wawa.

Ribadu described their capture as a “turning point” in counterterrorism efforts, noting that both suspects maintained extensive connections with extremist networks in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.

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