BREAKING: Top ANSARU Terrorist Leaders Captured in Major Security Operation

Abuja, Nigeria – August 16, 2025 — In a significant breakthrough in Nigeria’s fight against terrorism, security agencies have captured the top leadership of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan (ANSARU), the Al-Qaeda-linked terror group operating in the country.

The National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, disclosed this during a press briefing on Saturday at the National Counter Terrorism Centre in Abuja. He confirmed that the two high-profile terrorists — Abu Baraa and Mamuda — had been apprehended following a months-long joint operation by the Nigerian military, Police, Department of State Services (DSS), and other intelligence units.

“These individuals have been on Nigeria’s most-wanted list for years. Their capture marks a turning point in our ongoing war against terror,” Ribadu stated.

Abu Baraa, whose real name is Mahmud Muhammad Usman, was identified as the self-declared Emir of ANSARU. According to the NSA, he coordinated various sleeper cells across the country and was behind numerous high-profile kidnappings and armed robberies used to fund terrorist activities.

His deputy, Mahmud al-Nigeri, known as Mamuda, was the leader of the feared “Mahmudawa” cell operating within the Kainji National Park region, straddling Niger and Kwara States, with connections into Benin Republic. Ribadu revealed that Mamuda received terrorist training in Libya from 2013 to 2015 under foreign jihadist instructors from Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria.

The two were implicated in multiple deadly attacks, including:

The 2022 Kuje prison break in Abuja

An assault on a Nigerian uranium facility

The 2013 abduction of French engineer Francis Collomp in Katsina

The 2019 kidnapping of Alhaji Musa Umar Uba, Magajin Garin Daura

The abduction of the Emir of Wawa

Ribadu said both men had active links with terror groups across the Maghreb, particularly in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. Their capture, he emphasized, represents “the most decisive blow against ANSARU since its inception.”

“The successful decapitation of the leadership of this dangerous franchise has dismantled its central command and paves the way for the complete annihilation of the group,” the NSA stated.

He further disclosed that intelligence materials and digital evidence recovered during the operation are now undergoing forensic analysis, which is expected to aid in further disrupting remaining ANSARU cells and their international collaborators.

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, also addressed the press, urging citizens to support ongoing security efforts. He called on the media to avoid amplifying terrorist propaganda, stressing that “terrorism thrives on publicity.”

Both officials reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to restore peace and security across Nigeria, assuring citizens that the campaign against terrorism would continue with full force.