A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced Mahmud Usman, a senior commander of the proscribed Ansaru terrorist group, to 15 years in prison for crimes linked to financing terrorism through illegal mining and kidnapping.
Justice Emeka Nwite delivered the ruling on Thursday, directing that Usman remain in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) as he still faces trial on 31 additional terrorism-related charges. The case resumes on October 21.
Usman and his associate, Abubakar Abba, are being tried on a 32-count charge that includes launching terrorist attacks in 2022—most notably the assault on the Nigerian Army’s Wawa Cantonment in Kainji, Niger State, which caused mass casualties. The charges also accuse them of fabricating explosives, undergoing weapons training, and receiving tactical support from a terror network in Mali.
The DSS further alleges that Usman masterminded the July 2022 Kuje prison break, which freed more than 600 inmates, and was plotting an attack on a uranium facility in Niger State. Other accusations include the 2013 abduction of French engineer Francis Collomp, the 2019 kidnapping of Alhaji Musa Umar Uba, Magajin Garin Daura, as well as multiple armed robberies.
National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu described Usman as the “self-styled Emir of Ansaru” and coordinator of sleeper cells across Nigeria. His lieutenant, Mamuda, reportedly acted as “chief of staff,” leading the group’s Mahmudawa cell around Kainji National Park.
Formed in 2012 after breaking away from Boko Haram, Ansaru is notorious for high-profile kidnappings and terror attacks across Nigeria.
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