The Department of State Services (DSS) has formally arraigned two senior commanders of the terrorist group Ansaru at the Federal High Court in Abuja on multiple terrorism-related charges.
The suspects are Mahmud Usman (aka Abu Bara’a / Abbas / Mukhtar) and his deputy Mahmud Al‑Nigeri (aka Malam Mamuda).
They face a 32‑count charge sheet, filed by the DSS, that includes Leading a proscribed terrorist organisation, Planning and executing the 2022 attack on the Nigerian Army’s Wawa Cantonment in Niger State, which resulted in mass casualties, Training in weapons handling, war tactics, and fabrication of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) as well as Participation in orchestrated kidnappings and violent attacks, allegedly tied to camps both inside and outside Nigeria.
Justice Emeka Nwite is presiding over the case.
According to security sources, Mamuda received terror training in Libya between 2013 and 2015 under foreign jihadist instructors.
Usman, described as the “self‑styled Emir of Ansaru,” is accused of coordinating sleeper cells, financing operations, and masterminding several high-profile attacks, including the 2022 Kuje prison break.
National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu confirmed their arrest, saying the capture has effectively dealt a severe blow to the central leadership structure of Ansaru.
He noted that as a result of the arrests, much of the group’s command network has been dismantled.
In a related case, the DSS also arraigned Huzaifa Haruna, who is accused of transporting seven M‑16 rifles from Dogo village in Barkin Ladi to Wakili Julde in Wase, Plateau State.
