The Department of State Services (DSS) has taken two top leaders of the banned terror group Ansaru to the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday.
The men are Mahmud Usman (also called Abu Bara’a Abbas or Mukhtar) and his deputy, Mahmud Al-Nigeri (also known as Malam Mamuda). They face 32 charges of terrorism before Justice Emeka Nwite.
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The DSS says the two men planned the July 2022 Kuje prison break, where more than 600 prisoners escaped.
They are also accused of planning the 2022 attack on the Nigerian Army’s Wawa Cantonment in Niger State, which left many dead.
According to the DSS, both men were trained in handling weapons, war tactics, and making explosives in Mali and Libya.
Mamuda is said to have received special training from foreign jihadists between 2013 and 2015.
They are also linked to major kidnappings, including the 2013 abduction of French engineer Francis Collomp and the 2019 kidnapping of Alhaji Musa Umar Uba, a traditional ruler in Daura.
Other alleged crimes include armed robbery and a failed plan to attack a uranium site in Niger.
National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, confirmed their arrest during joint security operations.
He described Usman as the “self-styled Emir of Ansaru”, who controlled several hidden terror cells across Nigeria, while Mamuda acted as his “chief of staff” in the Kainji area.
Ribadu said their arrest has weakened Ansaru’s command structure and “opened the way for its defeat.”
Ansaru split from Boko Haram in 2012 and at first claimed to be a more “humane” group. However, it later linked up with international terror groups, including adopting the logo of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).
In another case, the DSS also brought Huzaifa Haruna to court for allegedly moving seven M-16 rifles from Barkin Ladi in Plateau State to one Wakili Julde in Wase.