Nigeria: Breaking - Captured 'Ansaru Leaders' Make U-Turn, Plead Guilty to 32 Terrorism Charges

What the report says

AllAfrica, carrying a Premium Times report, said two suspected senior Ansaru commanders pleaded guilty on Monday to all 32 terrorism-related counts before the Federal High Court in Abuja. The defendants were named as Mahmud Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a, Abbas and Mukhtar, and Abubakar Abba, also known as Mahmud al-Nigeri and Malam Mamuda. Prosecutors described Usman as Ansaru’s self-styled emir and Abba as its deputy leader and chief of staff.

According to the report, defence lawyer Bala Dakum told Judge Emeka Nwite that the men had consulted with him and wanted to change their earlier positions. The State Security Service lawyer, David Kaswe, did not object, and the charges were read again. Both defendants then admitted the full charge sheet, which includes allegations involving terrorism, terrorism financing, kidnapping for ransom, illegal mining, making improvised explosive devices and related offences.

Premium Times reported that the SSS first arraigned the men in September 2025. At that stage, Usman admitted one illegal mining count, was convicted and received a 15-year sentence, while denying the remaining allegations; Abba denied all counts. The case later included testimony from an SSS operative using the codename “Triple A,” who alleged that the defendants confessed to weapons and explosives training in Libya, links with militant networks across the Sahel and Maghreb, and involvement in kidnappings and other activities.

The case is significant because Nigerian officials have presented the arrests as an important counterterrorism development. National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu announced in August 2025 that the suspects had been captured during a multi-agency, intelligence-led operation conducted between May and July 2025. Ansaru is widely described by Nigerian authorities as an Al-Qaeda-linked group associated with attacks and kidnappings in the country.