Convicted terrorist leaders Abu Baraa and Mamuda were found guilty on 32 counts linked to terrorism financing, high-profile kidnappings, and deadly attacks across Nigeria.
The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced two senior commanders of the Ansaru terrorist group to life imprisonment after they pleaded guilty to multiple terrorism-related offences.
Justice Emeka Nwite delivered the judgment on Friday, convicting Abubakar Abba, popularly known as Abu Baraa, and Mahmud Usman, also called Mamuda, on a 32-count charge filed by the Department of State Services (DSS) on behalf of the Federal Government.
The charges bordered on terrorism, terrorism financing, kidnapping for ransom, illegal mining, and the fabrication of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The court imposed life imprisonment on both men on counts 30 and 31, while ordering additional 20-year jail terms on the remaining counts, effective from the date of their arrest.
According to the prosecution, the convicts were among the highest-ranking leaders of Ansaru, an al-Qaeda-affiliated extremist group linked to numerous attacks across northern Nigeria. They were arrested in separate intelligence-led operations between May and July 2025 after spending years on Nigeria’s most-wanted list.
Investigators alleged that the duo coordinated terrorist sleeper cells across the country and maintained operational ties with extremist groups in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. Court documents also linked them to the 2022 Kuje prison attack, the assault on the Nigerian Army’s Wawa Cantonment, and several high-profile kidnappings, including that of French engineer Francis Collomp in 2013.
The Office of the National Security Adviser had previously identified Abu Baraa as Ansaru’s leader and Mamuda as his deputy and chief of staff, noting that they oversaw a network of operatives across the Kainji National Park axis and neighbouring territories.
National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu described their arrest as one of Nigeria’s most significant counterterrorism successes in recent years, saying it dealt a major blow to Ansaru’s operational structure.
Ansaru, which emerged in 2012 as a splinter faction of Boko Haram, has long been associated with attacks on security personnel, government institutions, and civilians. The convictions mark a major milestone in Nigeria’s ongoing efforts to dismantle terrorist networks and strengthen national security.