The Department of State Services (DSS) has provided fresh updates on ongoing prosecutions of several high-profile terrorism suspects involved in deadly attacks and extremist activities in Nigeria.
According to the Service, trial will resume on November 19 at the Federal High Court, Abuja, in the case involving two internationally-wanted terror leaders — Mahmud Muhammad Usman (alias Abu Bara’a) and Abubakar Abba (also known as Isah Adam and Mahmud Al-Nigeri). The pair were arrested during an intelligence-driven counter-terrorism operation in July.
Both men are believed to be top commanders of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan (ANSARU), an Al-Qaeda-linked terror organisation operating in Nigeria. Usman, regarded as the self-acclaimed “Emir of ANSARU,” allegedly coordinated sleeper cells nationwide and masterminded high-profile kidnappings and robberies that funded terrorist activities. Abba reportedly led the “Mahmudawa” cell active around Kainji National Park and border communities in Niger and Kwara states.
The suspects are facing a 32-count terrorism charge. Usman has already pleaded guilty to a count relating to illegal mining and received a 15-year sentence, while Abba pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The DSS also noted progress in the prosecution of Khalid Al-Barnawi, alleged mastermind of the 2011 bombing of the United Nations building in Abuja, which killed 20 people and injured over 70 others. He is being tried with four accomplices, although the case has faced long delays due to procedural challenges. Justice Emeka Nwite recently granted accelerated hearing, with videos of the accused persons’ confessional statements played in court in October.
Additionally, five suspects linked to the June 5, 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State — which left more than 40 people dead — are being prosecuted on a nine-count terrorism charge. The accused, said to be members of an extremist cell in Kogi State, pleaded not guilty and were denied bail in September on national-security grounds.
Similarly, suspects arrested over the June 2025 Yelwata massacre in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State — where dozens were killed and 107 injured — are also facing trial. Nine defendants are being prosecuted, while two others remain at large. Some suspects accused of reprisal attacks have also been charged.
Commenting on the various cases, DSS Director-General, Tosin Ajayi, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to justice.
“The various arrests and trials of terrorism suspects show that Nigeria’s security agencies have been diligent in dealing with perpetrators of terror in the country,” he said.
Ajayi noted that numerous other terror suspects are also being processed under military custody, with 125 convicted in July last year.
“We shall continue to make the suspects accountable for disrupting the peace of our country, in consonance with the rule of law,” he added.