DSS Arraigns Ansaru Commanders over Kuje Prison, Wawa Barracks Attacks
The Department of State Services (DSS) has arraigned two senior commanders of Ansaru, a proscribed terrorist organisation, on terrorism-related charges.
The suspects are identified as Mahmud Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a Abbas or Mukhtar, and his deputy, Mahmud Al-Nigeri, also called Malam Mamuda. They face a 32-count charge filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The DSS alleges that the pair masterminded several high-profile terrorist attacks, including the July 2022 assault on Kuje Correctional Centre, during which more than 600 inmates were freed. They are also accused of orchestrating the 2022 attack on the Nigerian Army’s Wawa Cantonment in Kainji, Niger State, which resulted in mass casualties.
Investigators claim the suspects received training in weapons handling, war tactics, and improvised explosive device (IED) fabrication from terrorist camps in Mali and Libya. According to security officials, Mamuda trained in Libya between 2013 and 2015 under foreign jihadist instructors.
The DSS further alleges that the commanders planned an attack on a Niger uranium facility and were involved in multiple kidnappings, including that of French engineer Francis Collomp in 2013 and Alhaji Musa Umar Uba, Magajin Garin Daura, in 2019. They are also accused of several armed robberies.
National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, confirming their arrest during coordinated security operations, described Usman as the “self-styled Emir of Ansaru” and coordinator of numerous sleeper cells across Nigeria. He said Mamuda acted as his “chief of staff,” leading the “Mahmudawa” cell around Kainji National Park.
Ribadu added that Ansaru, which broke away from Boko Haram in 2012, initially presented itself as a “humane alternative” but soon turned violent. He noted the group adopted the logo of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), signalling global jihadist affiliations.
He maintained that the arrests had “effectively dismantled” Ansaru’s central command and paved the way for its defeat.
In a related case, the DSS arraigned Huzaifa Haruna for allegedly transporting seven M-16 rifles from Dogo village in Barkin Ladi, Plateau State, to one Wakili Julde in Wase.
