The federal government is set to arraign two captured top leaders of the Ansaru terrorist group at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday, September 11, 2025.
The defendants, Mahmud Muhammad Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a or Abbas Mukhtar, and his deputy, Abubakar Abba, also referred to as Isah Adam or Mahmud Al-Nigeri and popularly called Mallam Mamuda, will face a 32-count charge relating to terrorism.
The arraignment will be before Justice Emeka Nwite under the case number FHC/ABJ/CR/464/2025, with Abu Bara’a listed as the first defendant and Mahmud Al-Nigeri as the second.
According to the charges, Abu Bara’a, a native of Okene Local Government Area in Kogi State, and Mahmud Al-Nigeri from Daura Local Government Area in Katsina State, allegedly conspired between 2013 and 2015 to aid and abet acts of terrorism. They are accused of forming and assuming top leadership positions in Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimeena Fii Bilaadis Sudan (JAMBS/Ansaru), a proscribed terrorist organisation affiliated with Al-Qaeda.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that both suspects were apprehended in a high-risk, intelligence-led operation conducted by Nigeria’s security and intelligence agencies between May and July 2025. The capture was publicly confirmed by the National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, during a briefing in Abuja on August 16.
Ansaru has been linked to multiple high-profile attacks and kidnappings across Nigeria, contributing to insecurity in several regions.
The federal government’s decision to arraign the two leaders signals the continuation of ongoing counterterrorism efforts and the prosecution of individuals responsible for orchestrating violent extremist activities in the country.
(NAN)
