National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu yesterday said security forces had arrested two top terrorist group, Ansaru leaders, Mahmud Muhammad Usman (aka Abu Bara’a/Abbas/Mukhtar) and his deputy, Mahmud al-Nigeri (aka Mallam Mamuda), in high risk intelligence operations.
Ribadu disclosed this while briefing newsmen on recent successes recorded by Nigerian security forces in the ongoing effort to rid the country of terrorist groups.
He said the two men had been on the wanted list of security forces, adding that they jointly spearheaded multiple attacks on civilians, security forces and critical infrastructure.
“The two men, who are wanted internationally, are currently in custody,” he said.
Ribadu said, “Today, 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,”.
He said Mahmud Muhammad Usman (aka Abu Bara’a/Abbas/Mukhtar), the self-styled Emir of ANSARU is the coordinator of various terrorist sleeper cells across Nigeria, adding that he was also the mastermind of several high-profile kidnappings and armed robberies used to finance terrorism over the years.
The NSA said Mahmud al-Nigeri (aka Mallam Mamuda), Abu Bara’s proclaimed chief of staff and deputy 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.
He said Mamuda trained in Libya between 2013 and 2015 under foreign jihadist instructors from Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria, specialising in weapons handling and IED fabrication.
He said the group was first formed in January 2012 with a public declaration in Kano.
The NSA said the group emerged as a splinter faction from Boko Haram, positioning itself as a “humane alternative.”
However, according to the NSA, 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,”.
Ribadu added that Ansaru over the years 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 NSA explained that the targeted operation, which was conducted between May and July 2025, led to the capture of two top ANSARU leaders who have been responsible for masterminding several terrorist attacks against Nigeria over the past years.
He listed some of their operations to include the 2022 Kuje prison break, the attack on the Niger uranium facility, the 2013 abduction of French engineer Francis Collomp in Katsina, and the May 1, 2019 kidnapping of Alhaji Musa Umar Uba (Magajin Garin Daura).
“They were also behind the abduction of the Emir of Wawa and they maintain active links with terrorist groups across the Maghreb, particularly in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso,” he said.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, urged the citizens to support the government to make the country safer for economic growth and development.
He also urged the media not to be swayed by terrorist propaganda, noting that terrorism drives on publicity.
