FG Captures Top Ansaru Leaders Behind Kuje Prison Break
The Federal Government on Saturday announced the arrest of two top leaders of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan (Ansaru) terrorist group, an Al-Qaeda affiliate in Nigeria, following a months-long intelligence-led counter-terrorism operation.
The National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, disclosed this during a press briefing at the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) in Abuja.
He said the coordinated operation, conducted between May and July 2025, involved multiple security and intelligence agencies.
According to Ribadu, the suspects are Mahmud Muhammad Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a, Abbas or Mukhtar, identified as the self-styled Emir of Ansaru, and his deputy, Mahmud al-Nigeri, also known as Mallam Mamuda.
“The targeted operation, which was conducted between May and July 2025, led to the capture of two top ANSARU leaders who have been responsible for masterminding several terrorist attacks against Nigeria over the past years,” Ribadu said.
He explained that Abu Bara coordinated terrorist sleeper cells across the country and masterminded several high-profile kidnappings and armed robberies to finance terrorism.
“He is the coordinator of various terrorist sleeper cells across Nigeria. He is also the mastermind of several high-profile kidnappings and armed robberies used to finance terrorism over the years,” the NSA noted.
On his part, Mamuda was described as Abu Bara’s “Chief of Staff and Deputy,” leading the “Mahmudawa” cell operating around Kainji National Park, spanning Niger and Kwara States and extending into the Benin Republic.
“The second is Mahmud al-Nigeri (aka Mallam Mamuda), Abu Bara’s proclaimed Chief of Staff and Deputy. He is the leader of the so-called ‘Mahmudawa’ cell hiding out in and around the Kainji National Park, straddling Niger and Kwara States up to the Benin Republic. Mamuda trained in Libya between 2013 and 2015 under foreign jihadist instructors from Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria, specialising in weapons handling and IED fabrication,” Ribadu said.
The NSA further revealed that both men had been on Nigeria’s most-wanted list for years and were also wanted internationally. He linked them to several high-profile terror incidents, including,
- The 2022 Kuje prison break in Abuja.
- An attack on Niger’s uranium facility.
- The 2013 abduction of French engineer Francis Collomp.
- The 2019 kidnapping of Alhaji Musa Umar Uba, Magajin Garin Daura.
- The abduction of the Emir of Wawa.
“They were also behind the abduction of the Emir of Wawa and they maintain active links with terrorist groups across the Maghreb, particularly in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. The two men, who are wanted internationally, are currently in custody,” Ribadu added.
Ribadu stressed that the capture of the two Ansaru leaders had effectively crippled the group’s central command.
“This strike has effectively dismantled its central command while paving the path for the complete annihilation of the group,” he said.
He disclosed that security forces recovered a cache of materials and digital evidence during the operation, now undergoing forensic analysis.
“Let me use this opportunity to inform the public that, in the course of the operation, our security forces captured and recovered valuable actionable intelligence. These include a cache of materials and digital evidence which are all now undergoing forensic analysis. The findings from the analysis are expected to support our ongoing efforts to exploit this success, bring them to justice, and completely annihilate the remnants of ANSARU networks and disrupt their foreign collaborators,” Ribadu said.
The NSA urged citizens to remain alert and provide timely information to security agencies to help sustain the fight against terrorism.
FG Captures Top Ansaru Leaders Behind Kuje Prison Break is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
