Two Ansaru Commanders Sentenced to Life Imprisonment After Pleading Guilty to Terrorism Charges

A Federal High Court has sentenced two commanders of the Ansaru terrorist group, an Al-Qaeda-linked extremist organisation, to life imprisonment after they pleaded guilty to multiple terrorism-related offences.

The convicts, Mahmud Usman and Abubakar Abba, were prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS) on behalf of the Federal Government on a 32-count charge bordering on terrorism, terrorism financing, kidnapping, and other related crimes.

The court handed both men life imprisonment on counts 30 and 31 of the charge, while imposing 20-year jail terms on the remaining counts. The trial judge ordered that the sentences on the other counts should run from the date of their arrest.

Usman, the first defendant, had earlier pleaded guilty to a count of illegal mining allegedly used to finance terrorism and procure arms, for which he received a 15-year prison sentence. He initially pleaded not guilty to the remaining 31 counts, while Abba denied all 32 charges at the commencement of the trial.

Proceedings were delayed during the last hearing on July 9 after Abba indicated a willingness to change his plea before expressing reservations. However, both defendants eventually admitted guilt to all the charges, paving the way for the court to deliver its judgment.

The DSS arrested the two men in separate operations conducted between May and July 2025.

According to the prosecution, the convicts were involved in acts of terrorism, kidnapping for ransom, illegal mining to generate funds for terrorist activities, fabrication of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and terrorism financing.

They were also accused of coordinating sleeper cells, orchestrating multiple terrorist attacks, and maintaining operational links with terrorist networks across the Sahel and Maghreb regions.

The convictions mark a significant outcome in Nigeria’s ongoing efforts to dismantle terrorist networks and prosecute individuals involved in financing and coordinating extremist activities.