The National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu has announced that security forces have arrested two top Ansaru leaders in high-risk intelligence operations.
Ribadu named the arrested terror kingpins as Mahmud Muhammad Usman a.k.a. Abu Bara’a/Abbas/Mukhtar, and his deputy, Mahmud al-Nigeri a.k.a. Mallam Mamuda.
The NSA disclosed this on Saturday while briefing Journalists on the recent successes recorded by Nigeria in the ongoing efforts to decisively rid the country of terrorist groups.
He said the two men have been on the wanted list of security forces, adding that they jointly spearheaded multiple attacks on civilians, security forces, and critical national infrastructure.
“The two men, who are wanted internationally, are currently in custody, he announced.
In making the announcement, the NSA 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 Usman, the self-styled Emir of Ansaru is the coordinator of various terrorist sleeper cells across Nigeria, and also the mastermind of several high-profile kidnappings and armed robberies used to finance terrorism over the years.
For his part, the NSA said al-Nigeri, 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.
Ribadu further explained that the group was first formed in January 2012 with a public declaration in Kano.
The NSA said the Ansaru 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,” he said.
Ribadu added that Ansaru had 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, conducted between May and July 2025, led to the arest of the two top terrorists renowned for masterminding several terrorist attacks against Nigeria over the past years.
According to the NSA, some of the operations of the group include the 2022 Kuje Prison jailbreak, 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.
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 terrorists’ propaganda, noting that terrorism drives on publicity.
