By Emmanuel Nduka Obisue
The Nigerian Government has revealed how its forces captured two senior leaders of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan, widely known as Ansaru, in what it described as a major breakthrough against the Al-Qaeda-linked terror group.
National Security Adviser (NSA) Malam Nuhu Ribadu, announced the development during a press briefing at the weekend, revealing that the intelligence-driven operation was carried out between May and July 2025.
According to the NSA, those arrested include Mahmud Muhammad Usman, also known by multiple aliases including Abu Bara’a, Abbas, and Mukhtar. He is described as the group’s “Emir” and was allegedly responsible for coordinating sleeper cells across Nigeria, as well as masterminding kidnappings and armed robberies to fund terrorist activities.
In custody also, is Mahmud al-Nigeri, popularly called Mallam Mamuda, who served as Ansaru’s deputy commander and leader of the notorious “Mahmudawa” cell. Authorities say he trained in Libya under foreign jihadists and specialized in weapons handling and improvised explosive devices, IEDs.
Both men, long on Nigeria’s most-wanted list, have been linked to several high-profile attacks, including the 2022 Kuje prison break, the attack on a uranium facility in Niger Republic, the 2013 abduction of French engineer Francis Collomp, the 2019 kidnapping of Alhaji Musa Umar Uba (Magajin Garin Daura), and the abduction of the Emir of Wawa.
The NSA hailed the arrests as one of Nigeria’s most significant counter-terrorism achievements, stressing that the dismantling of Ansaru’s central leadership structure marked a turning point.
“The capture of Abu Bara and Mallam Mamuda marks a decisive step forward,” Ribadu said, adding that digital evidence and other materials seized during the operation were undergoing forensic analysis.
He commended President Bola Tinubu for his strategic leadership, as well as the Armed Forces, intelligence services, and security agencies for their collaboration.
“The fall of Ansaru’s leadership signals the beginning of the end to impunity for terrorist leaders. Nigeria will continue to pursue extremists with precision and resolve,” he declared.
