USAfricaonline.com : Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has announced the arrest of the top leaders of the Ansaru terror group, also known as Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan, Nigeria’s Al-Qaeda affiliate, and the Mahmudawa terrorist group.
Ribadu informed the media on August 16, 2025, that “The targeted operation, which was conducted between May and July 2025, led to the capture of two top ANSARU leaders who have been responsible for masterminding several terrorist attacks against Nigeria over the past years.”
He said that “The first is Mahmud Muhammad Usman (aka Abu Bara’a/Abbas/Mukhtar), the self-styled Emir of Ansaru. He is the coordinator of various terrorist sleeper cells across Nigeria. He is also the mastermind of several high-profile kidnappings and armed robberies used to finance terrorism over the years.”
“The second is Mahmud al-Nigeri (aka Mallam Mamuda), Abu Bara’s proclaimed Chief of Staff and Deputy. He is the leader of the so-called “Mahmudawa” cell hiding out in and around the Kainji National Park, straddling Niger and Kwara States up to the Benin Republic.”
“Mamuda trained in Libya between 2013 and 2015 under foreign jihadist instructors from Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria, specialising in weapons handling and IED fabrication…. These 2 men have been on Nigeria’s most-wanted list for years. They jointly spearheaded multiple attacks on civilians, security forces, and critical infrastructure.”
It is, in part, a reference to the 2022 jailbreak/attack that the terrorist group brought to the capital of Nigeria, Abuja
Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, described the arrests as a “significant breakthrough in the war against terrorism.”
