Nigeria has recorded a major breakthrough in the fight against terrorism with the capture of the leaders of Ansaru and Mahmuda. The announcement was made on Saturday evening by the National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu.
According to Ribadu, the men were captured in a high-risk, intelligence-led counter-terrorism operation conducted between May and July 2025. Both have been on the wanted list of Nigeria, the United States, the United Kingdom and the United Nations.
The suspects are leaders of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan, commonly known as Ansaru, a Nigerian Al-Qaeda affiliate responsible for several attacks in recent years.
The first suspect is Mahmud Muhammad Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a, Abbas or Mukhtar, the self-styled Emir of Ansaru. Ribadu said he coordinated terrorist sleeper cells across Nigeria and masterminded high-profile kidnappings and robberies used to fund terrorism.
The second is Mahmud al-Nigeri, also known as Mallam Mamuda, Abu Bara’s proclaimed Chief of Staff and Deputy. He led the so-called Mahmudawa cell based around Kainji National Park, straddling Niger and Kwara States up to the Benin Republic. He trained in Libya between 2013 and 2015 under foreign jihadist instructors, specialising in weapons handling and IED fabrication.
Both men have been linked to major terrorist operations including the 2022 Kuje prison break, the attack on the Niger uranium facility, the 2013 abduction of French engineer Francis Collomp in Katsina, 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 links with jihadist groups across Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.
Ribadu stressed that their capture marks one of the most significant achievements in Nigeria’s war against terrorism. He described it as the most decisive blow against Ansaru since its inception, effectively dismantling its central command and paving the way for the group’s complete annihilation.
Ansaru was first formed in January 2012 with a public declaration in Kano after splitting from Boko Haram. Although it initially presented itself as a humane alternative, the group soon turned to attacks against security forces, civilian communities and critical infrastructure. The group publicly displayed the setting sun logo of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, signalling its ideological alignment with global jihadist movements.
Over the years, Ansaru established both urban sleeper cells and forest enclaves across northern Nigeria, particularly around Kainji National Park and areas close to the Benin Republic. The arrest of its top leaders is now seen as a landmark success in Nigeria’s counter-terrorism strategy.
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