DSS Arraigns Ansaru Commanders Over Alleged Terrorism, Kuje Prison Break

The Department of State Services (DSS), on Wednesday, arraigned two senior commanders of the proscribed terror group, Ansaru, on multiple charges of terrorism at the Federal High Court, Abuja.

The accused are Mahmud Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a Abbas or Mukhtar, and his deputy, Mahmud Al-Nigeri, also called Malam Mamuda. The DSS filed a 32-count charge against the duo before Justice Emeka Nwite.

According to the charge sheet, the suspects allegedly masterminded the July 2022 Kuje prison attack, which led to the escape of more than 600 inmates. They are also accused of orchestrating the 2022 attack on the Nigerian Army’s Wawa Cantonment in Kainji, Niger State, where several casualties were recorded.

The DSS further alleged that the commanders received extensive training in weapons handling, war tactics, and improvised explosive device (IED) fabrication from terror camps in Mali and Libya, with Mamuda reportedly undergoing specialised training between 2013 and 2015 under foreign jihadist instructors.

They are also linked to several high-profile kidnappings, including the abduction of French engineer Francis Collomp in 2013, and the 2019 kidnapping of Alhaji Musa Umar Uba, Magajin Garin Daura. Other alleged crimes include armed robberies and a foiled plot to attack a Niger uranium facility.

National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, while confirming their arrest during coordinated security operations, described Usman as the “self-styled Emir of Ansaru” who coordinated several sleeper cells across Nigeria. He added that Mamuda acted as his “chief of staff,” heading the so-called Mahmudawa cell around Kainji National Park.

Ribadu said the arrests have “effectively dismantled Ansaru’s central command and paved the way for its defeat.”

Ansaru, which broke away from Boko Haram in January 2012 in Kano, initially presented itself as a “humane alternative” but soon aligned with global jihadist movements. Ribadu noted that the group’s adoption of the Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) logo underscored its international terror links.

In a related case, the DSS also arraigned Huzaifa Haruna for allegedly transporting seven M-16 rifles from Dogo village in Barkin Ladi, Plateau State, to one Wakili Julde in Wase.