Two Al-Qaeda-linked terrorists bag life sentences after pleading guilty

A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced two commanders of Ansaru, an Al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group, to life imprisonment. Mahmud Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a, and Abubakar Abba, who goes by aliases like Mahmud Al-Nigeri, were convicted after pleading guilty to a 32-count terrorism charge brought against them by the Department of State Services (DSS).

Justice Emeka Nwite handed down the life sentences on counts 30 and 31 of the charge, while the remaining counts resulted in a 20-year jail term for each defendant. The court ordered that their sentences commence from their arrest dates. The DSS had accused Usman, from Kogi State, and Abba, from Katsina State, of involvement in terrorist attacks in Nigeria between 2013 and 2015.

Prosecutors alleged that the convicts served as top commanders for Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimeena Fii Bilaadis Sudan (JAMBS/Ansaru), a proscribed organization with ties to Al-Qaeda. They were further accused of receiving weapons handling and Improvised Explosive Device (IED) fabrication training from Jama’atu Nusratil Islami Wal Muslimin (JNIM), a terrorist group based in Mali. The DSS stated that the convicts participated in the 2022 attack on the Wawa Cantonment of the Nigerian Army in Niger State, which led to significant casualties.

Usman was identified as the coordinator of terrorist sleeper cells across Nigeria and the mastermind behind several high-profile kidnappings and armed robberies used to fund terrorism. The court had previously convicted Usman to 15 years in prison on September 11, 2025, after he pleaded guilty to a charge related to illegal mining. Abba had initially pleaded not guilty but later opted to change his plea. The convicts, who allegedly collected millions of naira in ransom from victims' families, were apprehended between May and July 2025 during intelligence-led operations. Their arrests were announced by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.