Two commanders of the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Ansaru terrorist group have pleaded guilty to a 32-count charge bordering on terrorism financing, kidnapping for ransom, illegal mining, funding terrorism, and the fabrication of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), among other offences.
Mahmud Usman, also known as Mahmud Al-Nigeri and Abu Bara’a, and his deputy, Abubakar Abba, also known as Isah Adam, changed their pleas from not guilty to guilty before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday .
The defendants had at the last adjourned date informed the court of their intention to change their plea . At their initial arraignment, Usman had pleaded guilty to one count of illegal mining to finance terrorism and the procurement of arms. He was convicted and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment on that count but pleaded not guilty to the remaining 31 charges. Abba had pleaded not guilty to all charges .
At Monday’s proceedings, they were re-arraigned and both changed their plea to guilty on all counts .
In view of their guilty plea, the prosecuting counsel, David Kwase, prayed the court to convict the defendants immediately on all 32 counts in line with section 274(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 .
The defendants’ counsel noted that despite the unequivocal plea of guilty by the defendants, the court should take cognizance of the fact that the change of plea by the defendants is to convey a message of repentance .
The Department of State Services (DSS) had arrested the two suspects in separate operations between May and July 2025 . The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, had described Usman as “the coordinator of terrorist sleeper cells across Nigeria and the mastermind of several high-profile kidnappings and armed robberies used to fund terrorism” .
According to the prosecution, the defendants are accused of coordinating sleeper cells, planning attacks, and maintaining links with terrorist groups operating across the Sahel and Maghreb regions . They were also alleged to have received training in weapons handling, the fabrication of IEDs, and war tactics from Jama’atu Nusratil Islami Wal Muslimin (JNIM), a Mali-based terrorist group .
Ansaru, a breakaway faction of Boko Haram, has been linked to several high-profile attacks and kidnappings across the country, including the July 2022 raid on Kuje Prison near Abuja, which freed more than 600 inmates, including hardened extremists .
Discussion about this post