The Department of State Services (DSS) has filed multiple terrorism charges against two top commanders of Ansaru, an Al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group operating in Nigeria.

According to reports, the suspects—Mahmud Usman (also known as Abu Bara’a, Abbas, or Mukhtar), the self-styled Emir of Ansaru, and Mahmud al-Nigeri (also known as Malam Mamuda), his deputy and chief of staff—were arrested during recent security operations.

They face charges of leading a terrorist organisation, financing terrorism, recruiting fighters, and coordinating violent attacks across the country.

The DSS said its investigation was expedited to ensure a speedy prosecution, following the directive of its Director-General to handle terrorism cases with professionalism, justice, and respect for human rights. Their arraignment at the Federal High Court in Abuja is expected in the coming days.

Ansaru militants were linked to the July 2022 attack on Kuje prison in Abuja, where over 600 inmates, including 64 Boko Haram suspects, escaped. National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu described the two suspects as masterminds of that jailbreak.

Abu Bara is said to have coordinated Ansaru sleeper cells nationwide and masterminded several high-profile kidnappings and armed robberies to fund terrorism. His deputy, Mamuda, reportedly trained in Libya between 2013 and 2015 under foreign jihadist instructors from Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria, specialising in weapons handling and Improvised Explosive Device (IED) fabrication.

The NSA also linked the duo to the 2013 abduction of French engineer Francis Collomp in Katsina, the 2019 kidnapping of Musa Uba, Magajin Garin Daura, and the abduction of the Emir of Wawa.

Ribadu hailed their arrest as a “turning point,” noting that their networks extended beyond Nigeria into Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.