The National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, announced on Saturday that Nigerian security forces have successfully captured two high-ranking leaders of the notorious Ansaru terrorist group, describing it as one of the most significant counter-terrorism achievements in recent years.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja, Ribadu disclosed that the intelligence-driven operation, carried out between May and July, effectively crippled the command structure of the Al-Qaeda-affiliated group and delivered “the most decisive blow against them.”
He revealed that the special operation was conducted through a coordinated effort involving the armed forces, intelligence services, and other critical security stakeholders. Targeted assaults were launched on Ansaru hideouts within and around the Kainji National Park — an area that spans Niger and Kwara States and shares links extending into the Benin Republic.
According to Ribadu, one of the arrested suspects is Mahmud Muhammad Usman (widely known by aliases Abu Bara’a, Abbas, or Mukhtar), who had declared himself the “Emir of Ansaru.” The second suspect, identified as Mahmud al-Nigeri (also called Malam Mamuda), was Abu Bara’s deputy and Chief of Staff.
Both men had long been listed among Nigeria’s most-wanted terrorists.
Abu Bara was said to be the chief coordinator of sleeper terrorist cells across Nigeria and the mastermind of several high-profile kidnappings and armed robberies, which were used to finance extremist operations.
Malam Mamuda, his deputy, reportedly trained in Libya between 2013 and 2015 under foreign jihadist instructors from Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria. He specialised in weapons training and the fabrication of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).
Together, the duo are believed to have masterminded multiple violent operations, including the 2022 Kuje prison break, the attack on a Niger uranium facility, the 2013 abduction of French engineer Francis Collomp in Katsina, the 2019 kidnapping of Alhaji Musa Umar Uba (Magajin Garin Daura), and the kidnapping of the Emir of Wawa.
Ribadu emphasized that their capture represents a major turning point in Nigeria’s fight against terrorism.
> “The arrest of Abu Bara and Mamuda dismantled Ansaru’s central command structure and signals the beginning of the end of impunity for terrorist leaders in Nigeria,” he said.
He further disclosed that valuable materials and digital evidence were recovered during the operation and are undergoing forensic analysis. These, he noted, are expected to yield fresh intelligence against remaining Ansaru operatives and their international collaborators.
The NSA described the success as proof of Nigeria’s advancing counter-terrorism capacity, achieved through months of deep surveillance, human intelligence gathering, and technical tracking, with improved inter-agency collaboration.
He praised President Bola Tinubu for his strategic leadership and commended the armed forces, intelligence community, and other security services for their commitment and resilience. Ribadu assured Nigerians that the government would not relent in its efforts to stamp out extremism.
> “Nigeria will continue to pursue extremists with precision, resolve, and unwavering determination. But we also urge citizens to stay alert and support security agencies by providing timely information. National security is a shared responsibility,” Ribadu stressed.
Also speaking at the briefing, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, congratulated the security forces for the coordinated breakthrough and urged the media to act responsibly by denying terrorists a platform to spread propaganda.
> “It is incumbent on all of us to ensure that we work collaboratively so that Nigeria can be safe again,” Idris said.
