NIGERIAN GOVT CAPTURES ANSARU LEADER AND DEPUTY, DEALS MAJOR BLOW TO TERROR NETWORK
Read Time:1 Minute, 54 Second
By Aishat Momoh. O.
Nigeria has achieved a major breakthrough in its fight against terrorism with the capture of the leaders of Ansaru and the Mahmudawa faction, long regarded as some of the country’s most dangerous extremist networks.
The National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, announced the development on Saturday evening, confirming that the arrests were made during a high-risk, intelligence-led counterterrorism operation conducted between May and July 2025.
Those captured are:
Mahmud Muhammad Usman (aka Abu Bara’a/Abbas/Mukhtar), the self-styled Emir of Ansaru, accused of coordinating terrorist sleeper cells nationwide, masterminding kidnappings, and financing terror through armed robberies.
READ MORE:
GOV MAKINDE DECLARES AUGUST 20 WORK-FREE DAY IN OYO TO CELEBRATE ISESE DAY
Mahmud al-Nigeri (aka Mallam Mamuda), his deputy and leader of the “Mahmudawa” cell, based around Kainji National Park across Niger and Kwara States. Trained in Libya by foreign jihadists, Mamuda specialised in weapons handling and improvised explosive device (IED) fabrication.
“These two men have been on Nigeria’s most-wanted list for years. They jointly spearheaded multiple attacks on civilians, security forces, and critical infrastructure,” Ribadu said.
Their operations include the 2022 Kuje prison break, the attack on the Niger uranium facility, the 2013 abduction of French engineer Francis Collomp, and the 2019 kidnapping of Alhaji Musa Umar Uba (Magajin Garin Daura). They were also behind the abduction of the Emir of Wawa and maintained active links with jihadist groups across Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.
Ribadu described the arrests as “the most decisive blow against Ansaru since its inception in 2012.” He said the capture of Abu Bara and Mamuda had effectively dismantled the group’s central command structure, paving the way for the group’s total collapse.
Ansaru, formed in January 2012 as a splinter faction from Boko Haram, initially presented itself as a more “humane alternative” but quickly turned to attacking security forces, civilian communities, and government infrastructure. The group openly aligned itself with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), adopting its symbols and maintaining cross-border ties.
“The successful decapitation of Ansaru’s leadership marks a historic milestone in Nigeria’s counterterrorism efforts,” Ribadu said, adding that the two men are currently in custody.
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0