- United States mission commended Nigeria’s arrest of Ansaru leaders Abu Bara’a and Malam Mamuda as significant anti-terrorism advancement
- Suspects masterminded 2022 Kuje prison break, coordinated terror sleeper cells, and conducted high-profile kidnappings to finance operations
The federal government and security authorities have received praise from the United States for apprehending two leaders of Ansaru, a terror organization associated with al-Qaeda.
The US mission in Nigeria called the arrest “a significant step forward in the country’s fight against terrorism and extremism” in an X post on Monday.
Mahmud Muhammad Usman (also known as Abu Bara’a) and Mahmud al-Nigeri (also known as Mallam Mamuda), two wanted Ansaru leaders, were successfully apprehended by the Nigerian government and security services, the post says.
“Nigeria’s fight against terrorism and extremism has advanced significantly with this.”
Las week, Nuhu Ribadu, the national security adviser (NSA), announced thatMahmud 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.
The NSA linked the duo to several high-profile attacks, including the 2022 Kuje prison break in Abuja that freed dozens of Boko Haram inmates.
He also said 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.
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.