TERROR KINGPIN FALLS: Ansaru Leader Abu Bara’a Jailed 15 Years As DSS Unmasks Web of Terror, Kidnapping, and Illegal Mining

Abuja – In a landmark judgment, the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has sentenced one of Nigeria’s most dreaded Ansaru terror leaders, Mahmud Muhammed Usman, popularly known as Abu Bara’a, to 15 years in prison after he confessed to charges of illegal mining – a crime that funded his deadly terrorist activities.

The sentencing came on Thursday after Bara’a, a native of Okene in Kogi State, pleaded guilty to Count 10 of a 32-count terrorism charge filed by the Department of State Services (DSS). The case, presided over by Justice Emeka Nwite, revealed chilling details of how the insurgent commander exploited illegal mining and kidnapping for ransom to bankroll terrorism.

Court documents showed that Bara’a and his co-accused, Abubakar Abba, also known as Isah Adam or Mahmud Al-Nigeri from Daura, Katsina State, operated within Nigeria and across borders between 2015 and 2024.

The DSS alleged that the pair were behind:

The bombing of Wawa Military Cantonment in Borgu, Niger State.

Kidnapping of a Customs officer and an Immigration officer – the latter killed while in captivity.

Terrorism financing through ransoms running into millions of naira.

Unlawful mining of mineral resources without licence, with proceeds allegedly used to procure arms and explosives.

Receiving training in Mali and Sudan on explosives, guerilla warfare, and combat tactics, which they allegedly passed on to recruits.


The DSS further claimed that the duo maintained links with foreign terror organizations, while concealing intelligence on impending attacks in Niger State and beyond.

COURTROOM DRAMA

While Abu Bara’a owned up to one count of illegal mining, his fellow alleged commander, Abba, pleaded not guilty to all 32 terrorism-related charges, forcing the court to set October for the commencement of full trial.

Justice Nwite ordered both men to be remanded at DSS custody in Abuja pending the hearing.

MORE ARRESTS

In a parallel case, alleged gunrunner Hucaifa Haruna was also arraigned before Justice Nwite on a five-count charge of terrorism-related offences. He pleaded not guilty and was likewise remanded at the DSS facility, with trial set for October 17.

THE CAPTURE

The trio were nabbed in a high-risk joint security operation deep inside a forest hideout, marking a major breakthrough in Nigeria’s battle against Ansaru and its network of financiers, kidnappers, and foreign collaborators.

The sentencing of Abu Bara’a, analysts say, sends a strong message to terror financiers and field commanders that the Nigerian state is tightening the noose around insurgent syndicates.