UPDATED: Top Ansaru terrorist group leaders arrested

Nigeria’s security forces have captured most wanted Ansaru terrorist group leader, Mahmud Muhammad Usman also known as Abu Bara’a/Abbas/ Mukhtar, for masterminding several high-profile attacks in the country. The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, who disclosed Baraa’s arrest at a special press briefing held at the National Counter-Terrorism Centre, Abuja on Saturday, also formally announced […]

Nigeria’s security forces have captured most wanted Ansaru terrorist group leader, Mahmud Muhammad Usman also known as Abu Bara’a/Abbas/ Mukhtar, for masterminding several high-profile attacks in the country.

The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, who disclosed Baraa’s arrest at a special press briefing held at the National Counter-Terrorism Centre, Abuja on Saturday, also formally announced the arrest of Mahmuda terrorist group leader, Abubakar Abba.

The NSA’s announcement came after 48 hours Daily Trust exclusively reported that the Department of State Services (DSS) was grilling Abba, the leader of new terrorist group called Mahmuda, who is currently in the custody.

Ribadu, in accompany with all the service chiefs and other heads of intelligence agencies, revealed that all the security forces have been trailing Baraa since May, before he was nabbed in July.

He said his trail became imperative because the group had become entrenched in the country that they were all out to bring down it with their nefarious activities.

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“I am glad to inform you that we have successfully concluded a high-risk, intelligence-led, counter-terrorism operation which led to the capture of the top leadership of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan, commonly known as ANSARU, Nigeria’s Al-Qaeda affiliate.

“The group was first formed in January 2012 with a public declaration in Kano. It emerged as a splinter faction from Boko Haram, positioning itself as a ‘humane alternative.’

“However, its stated aim quickly turned to attacking Nigerian security operatives, civilian communities and government infrastructure.

“The group publicly displayed the setting sun logo of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), signaling its ideological and operational alignment with global jihadist movements.

“Over the years, Ansaru entrenched itself in both urban sleeper cells and forest enclaves, across several cities in northern Nigeria and in forest based enclaves, particularly around Kainji National Park, straddling Niger and Kwara states as well as Benin Republic.

“The targeted operation, which was conducted between May and July 2025, led to the capture of 2 top ANSARU leaders who have been responsible for masterminding several terrorist attacks against Nigeria over the past years.”

According to the former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the two terror group leaders have been on Nigeria’s most-wanted list for years before they were finally nabbed.

Listing some of the atrocities they had committed, Ribadu disclosed that their operations include the 2022 Kuje prison break, the attack on the Niger uranium facility and the 2013 abduction of French engineer Francis Collomp in Katsina.

The former senior police officer also revealed that they were the ones that masterminded the kidnapping of Alhaji Musa Umar Uba (Magajin Garin Daura) on May 1, 2019

The NSA also noted that they were also behind the abduction of the Emir of Wawa, saying they maintain active links with terrorist groups across the Maghreb, particularly in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.

“The first is Mahmud Muhammad Usman (aka Abu Bara’a/Abbas/Mukhtar), the self-styled Emir of ANSARU. 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 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 Benin Republic.

“Mahmuda trained in Libya between 2013 and 2015 under foreign jihadist instructors from Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria, specializing in weapons handling and IED fabrication,” he stated.

The former EFCC boss explained that the capture of Abu Bara and Mallam Mahmuda, the group’s leader and deputy commander respectively, marks one of the most significant achievements to date in the ongoing effort to rid Nigeria of the threat of terrorism.

He noted that the successful decapitation of the leadership of this dangerous franchise marks the most decisive blow against Ansaru since its inception.

Ribadu added, “This stride has effectively dismantled its central command while paving the path for the complete annihilation of the group. 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 residual of ANSARU networks and disrupt their foreign collaborators.”

He vowed that Nigeria under the present administration will continue to pursue extremists with precision, resolve, and unwavering determination, adding that the capture of Abu Baraa and Mahmuda signals the beginning of the end to impunity for terrorist leaders.

“The fight is far from over, but the fall of Ansaru leadership represents a decisive step forward. I must appreciate the doggedness of the Armed Forces and all our intelligence and security agencies who all worked tirelessly and collaboratively to achieve this outcome,” the NSA said.

On his part, the Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, appealed to Nigerians to continue to support the military and other security agencies with actionable intelligence that can bring an end to terrorism in the country.

Idris, who was flanked by two Presidential Media aides, Bayo Onanuga and Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, also urged the citizens to support the government to make the country safer for economic growth and development.

The two arrests marked a major breakthrough nine years after the military captured Ansaru terrorist group leader, Khalid al-Barnawi, in 2016.

Barnawi was one of three Nigerians listed by Washington in 2012 as “specially designated global terrorists”.

Barnawi was one of three Nigerians listed by the United States Department of State in June 2012 as “specially designated global terrorists”. Barnawi was named alongside the late Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau and Ansaru founder Abubakar Adam Kambar.

Al-Barnawi assumed the leadership of Ansaru following the death of Kambar in a military raid on his hideout in Kano in March 2012.