Posted by Chinenye on Tue 21st Jul, 2026 - tori.ng
Two top figures linked to the Ansaru terrorist group have received life sentences after admitting to multiple terrorism-related offences. The
(Court Sentences Two Ansaru Terrorist Leaders to Life Imprisonment. Photoo by Parallel Facts News)
The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced two senior leaders of the Ansaru t3rrorist group to life imprisonment over their involvement in t3rrorism-related offences, including the alleged masterminding of the 2022 Kuje Correctional Centre jailbreak.
Justice Emeka Nwite, who delivered the judgment on Monday, sentenced Mahmud Usman, also known as Abu Bara'a, Abbas and Mukhtar, the self-styled Emir of Ansaru, and Mahmud al-Nigeri, also known as Malam Mamuda, after they pleaded guilty to the charges brought against them.
The convicts were initially arraigned in September 2025 by the Department of State Services (DSS) on a 32-count t3rrorism charge, to which they had earlier pleaded not guilty.
During Monday's proceedings, counsel to the defendants, Bala Dakum, informed the court that his clients had decided to change their earlier pleas and admit guilt to the charges.
The DSS did not oppose the request but asked the court to have the charges read afresh before the defendants entered their new pleas.
After the charges were read, both men pleaded guilty to all 32 counts, following which Justice Nwite sentenced them to life imprisonment on counts 30 and 31.
The court also handed them 20 years' imprisonment on each of the remaining counts, with all sentences to run concurrently.
The two Ansaru leaders were accused of involvement in several t3rrorist activities, including the 2022 Kuje prison br3ak, where more than 600 inmates escaped, as well as an att@ck on the Nigerian Army's Wawa Cantonment in Kainji, Niger State.
In August 2025, National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, announced that security forces had arrested the suspects, linking them to multiple att@cks and other t3rrorism-related operations across Nigeria.