The United States has commended the federal government and security agencies for the arrest of two leaders of Ansaru, a terror group linked to al-Qaeda.
In an X post on Monday, the US mission in Nigeria described the arrest as “a significant step forward in the country’s fight against terrorism and extremism”.
“We commend the Nigerian government and security forces on the successful arrest of wanted Ansaru leaders, Mahmud Muhammad Usman (aka Abu Bara’a) and Mahmud al-Nigeri (aka Mallam Mamuda),” the post reads.
“This is a significant step forward in Nigeria’s fight against terrorism and extremism.”
Last week, Nuhu Ribadu, the national security adviser (NSA), announced that Mahmud Usman (also known as Abu Bara’a) and Mahmud al-Nigeri (aka Malam Mamuda), who are on Nigeria’s wanted list, were captured following a series of intelligence-led operations between May and July.
Ribadu said Abu Bara’a, the self-proclaimed “Emir of Ansaru”, coordinated terror sleeper cells across the country and masterminded kidnappings and robberies to finance the group’s operations.
His deputy, Mamuda, headed the notorious “Mahmudawa” faction of Ansaru based in and around Kainji National Park and trained in Libya under foreign jihadist instructors.
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Ansaru, formally known as Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan, broke away from Boko Haram in 2012 and quickly gained notoriety for attacks on civilians, security forces, and infrastructure.
The group, which pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), claimed responsibility for several high-profile crimes including the 2022 Kuje prison break in Abuja that freed dozens of Boko Haram inmates.
He added that the suspects were also implicated in the 2013 attack on a uranium facility in Niger Republic, the kidnapping of French engineer Francis Collomp in Katsina, the 2019 abduction of Musa Uba, Magajin Garin Daura, and the kidnapping of the Emir of Wawa in Niger state, and other cross-border operations.
Ribadu added that the operation also dismantled Ansaru’s central command structure, adding that digital and material intelligence recovered from the raids are being analysed.