Nigeria Captures Ansaru Leaders Abu Bara and Mallam Mamuda
Nigeria’s security forces have recorded a major counter-terrorism breakthrough with the capture of two internationally wanted leaders of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan (ANSARU), the Al-Qaeda affiliate that broke away from Boko Haram in 2012.
The group, first declared in Kano in January 2012, initially presented itself as a “humane alternative” to Boko Haram but soon turned to attacking security operatives, civilians, and government infrastructure. With open ties to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), Ansaru established sleeper cells across northern Nigeria and entrenched itself in forest enclaves, particularly around Kainji National Park, which straddles Niger and Kwara States into Benin Republic.
The high-risk, intelligence-led operation, conducted between May and July 2025, led to the arrest of Mahmud Muhammad Usman (aka Abu Bara’a/Abbas/Mukhtar), the self-styled Emir of Ansaru, and Mahmud al-Nigeri (aka Mallam Mamuda), his Chief of Staff and Deputy. Abu Bara coordinated terrorist sleeper cells across Nigeria and masterminded several high-profile kidnappings and armed robberies to fund terrorist operations. Mallam Mamuda, who trained in Libya between 2013 and 2015 under foreign jihadist instructors, specialized in weapons handling and IED fabrication, and led the Mahmudawa cell hiding out in and around the Kainji National Park.
Both men have been on Nigeria’s most-wanted list for years and were behind multiple deadly attacks, including 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, the 2022 Kuje prison break, and the attack on the Niger uranium facility. Security officials confirmed that the suspects are now in custody, while caches of weapons, materials, and digital evidence recovered during the operation are undergoing forensic analysis.
Authorities described the arrests as the most decisive blow against Ansaru since its inception, effectively dismantling the group’s central command. They emphasized that the operation, which relied on months of deep surveillance, human intelligence, and technical tracking, highlights Nigeria’s advancing counter-terrorism capabilities and improved inter-agency synergy.
Officials expressed gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his strategic guidance, and commended the Armed Forces and intelligence agencies for their resilience and sacrifice. They further reassured the public that the capture of Abu Bara and Mallam Mamuda marks a decisive step forward in the fight against terrorism, even as efforts continue to completely dismantle remaining Ansaru networks and disrupt their foreign collaborators.
Citizens were urged to remain vigilant, report suspicious activities, and support ongoing efforts to ensure lasting peace and security across the nation
