By Our Reporter
ABUJA (PRECISE POST) – In a major victory against terrorism, Nigerian security forces have successfully captured two top leaders of the terrorist group Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan, commonly known as Ansaru—an Al-Qaeda affiliate operating in Nigeria.
At a press briefing on Saturday evening, the National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, confirmed the arrests of Mahmud Muhammad Usman (also known as Abu Bara’a) and Mahmud al-Nigeri (also known as Mallam Mamuda), both of whom have long been on the wanted lists of Nigeria, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the United Nations.
The Special Adviser Information and strategy to the President, Bayo Onanuga announced this on his veeified X account yesterday.
According to the announcement, the arrests were made as part of a high-risk, intelligence-led counter-terrorism operation conducted between May and July 2025. Ribadu described the operation as a “decisive blow” against the Ansaru group, stating that it effectively dismantled the terrorist organisation’s central command.
“The capture of Abu Bara and Mallam Mamuda, the group’s leader and deputy commander respectively, marks one of the most significant achievements to date in our ongoing effort to rid Nigeria of the threat of terrorism,” Ribadu said.
Abu Bara’a, described as the self-styled Emir of Ansaru, was reportedly the coordinator of numerous terrorist sleeper cells across Nigeria. He is believed to have masterminded a series of high-profile kidnappings, armed robberies, and attacks used to fund and sustain terrorist operations.
His deputy, Mallam Mamuda, is said to have led the so-called “Mahmudawa” cell, operating from forest hideouts around Kainji National Park, straddling Niger and Kwara States and extending into Benin Republic.
According to Ribadu, Mamuda received military and explosives training in Libya between 2013 and 2015 under foreign jihadist instructors from Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria.
The pair are allegedly responsible for a string of deadly attacks across Nigeria, including: The 2022 Kuje prison break; The attack on the Niger uranium facility; The 2013 abduction of French engineer Francis Collomp in Katsina; The 2019 kidnapping of Alhaji Musa Umar Uba (Magajin Garin Daura) and The abduction of the Emir of Wawa
Both men are also accused of maintaining active links with jihadist networks in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.
Ribadu said the successful operation dealt the most significant blow to Ansaru since its formation in 2012. The group emerged as a splinter faction from Boko Haram, originally presenting itself as a more “humane” alternative before turning to full-scale militant operations, including attacks on civilians, security forces, and critical infrastructure.
Over the years, Ansaru embedded itself in urban sleeper cells and remote forest enclaves, particularly around Kainji National Park. It openly aligned itself with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), further embedding itself in the global jihadist movement.
The two captured militants are currently in custody and undergoing further investigation. Authorities say their arrest could mark the beginning of the end for Ansaru’s operations in Nigeria.
