Nigeria has achieved a significant victory in its counter-terrorism efforts with the capture of the leaders of two major terrorist organisations, Ansaru and Mahmuda.
The operation, which took place between May and July 2025, resulted in the apprehension of two of the country’s most wanted terrorists, who were also on the wanted lists of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the United Nations.
At a press briefing on Saturday evening, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu announced that the two men were captured during a high-risk, intelligence-led operation.
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Mahmud Muhammad Usman, known as Abu Bara’a, Abbas, or Mukhtar, the self-proclaimed Emir of Ansaru and the mastermind behind several high-profile kidnappings and armed robberies used to finance terrorism.
He also serves as the coordinator of multiple terrorist sleeper cells across Nigeria.
Also, Mahmud al-Nigeri, known as Mallam Mamuda, described as Abu Bara’a’s Chief of Staff and Deputy leads the Mahmudawa cell, which operates within and around Kainji National Park and extends into the Republic of Benin.
Mamuda is a specialist in weapons handling and bomb-making, having undergone training with foreign jihadist instructors in Libya between 2013 and 2015.
Ribadu stated that the capture of these two individuals represents a decisive blow against Ansaru, effectively dismantling its central command.
The men were responsible for a range of terrorist activities, including the 2022 Kuje prison break, an attack on a uranium facility in Niger, and several high-profile kidnappings, such as those of French engineer Francis Collomp and Alhaji Musa Umar Uba.
The group, which emerged as a splinter faction of Boko Haram in 2012, is known for its alignment with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and had established a network of urban sleeper cells and forest enclaves.
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Ribadu stated that this successful decapitation of Ansaru’s leadership marks a significant step toward the complete annihilation of the group and a major achievement in Nigeria’s ongoing efforts to rid the country of terrorism.
The two men are currently in custody.
