Ansaru Commanders Enter Guilty Pleas in Abuja Court
Two senior commanders of the proscribed terrorist group Ansaru, identified as Mammuda and Abu Baraa, have pleaded guilty to a 32-count charge bordering on terrorism and kidnapping. The duo was arraigned by the Department of State Services (DSS) before the Federal High Court in Abuja. The DSS had initially charged the suspects in September 2025 for their alleged roles in multiple terrorist operations across Nigeria.
Attacks on Military and Correctional Facilities
The suspects were accused of attacking the Nigerian Army's Wawa Cantonment in Kainji, Niger State, in 2022, an assault that resulted in multiple casualties. They were also alleged to have masterminded the July 2022 attack on the Kuje Correctional Centre, during which more than 600 inmates escaped. According to the DSS, the pair coordinated several high-profile kidnappings, including the abduction of French engineer Francis Collomp in 2013.
Terrorist Training and Cross-Border Links
Both suspects allegedly received training in weapons handling, war tactics, and improvised explosive device (IED) fabrication at terrorist camps, including training in Mali. Mammuda was further accused of undergoing jihadist training in Libya between 2013 and 2015 under foreign instructors. The DSS also linked them to planning the attack on the Niger uranium facility.
Arrest and Significance in Counter-Terrorism
National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu announced the arrest of the two suspects in August 2025. Ribadu identified Abu Baraa as the self-styled Amir of Ansaru and Mammuda as his deputy and chief of staff. He stated that Abu Baraa coordinated terrorist sleeper cells across Nigeria and masterminded numerous kidnappings and armed robberies, while Mammuda led the 'Mahmudawa' cell operating around Kainji National Park across Niger and Kwara states and into the Benin Republic. Ribadu described their arrest as one of the most significant breakthroughs in Nigeria's counter-terrorism efforts, saying the capture of the group's leader and deputy dealt a major blow to Ansaru's operations.
Additional Allegations and Background
Other allegations against the pair include the 2019 kidnapping of Alhaji Musa Umar Uba, the Magajin Garin Daura, as well as involvement in several armed robberies used to finance terrorist activities. The NSA also linked the suspects to the abduction of the Emir of Wawa and cross-border links with terrorist groups operating in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. Ansaru emerged in January 2012 as a splinter faction of Boko Haram, aligning itself with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and establishing sleeper cells and forest camps across northern Nigeria, particularly around Kainji National Park.
