Court jails Ansaru ‘Emir’ Mahmud Usman 15 years for funding terror sleeper cells

A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced Mahmud Usman, the self-proclaimed “Emir” of the outlawed Ansaru sect, to 15 years in prison for financing terrorism and arming insurgent cells across Nigeria.

Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a, Abbas, or Mukhtar, pleaded guilty to charges of running illegal mining operations and diverting the proceeds to buy weapons for kidnappings and extremist attacks.

In his ruling on Thursday, Justice Emeka Nwite directed that Usman remain in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) while standing trial on 31 other terrorism counts.

Security officials have long identified Usman as one of the country’s most dangerous extremists. National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu once described him as “the coordinator of terrorist sleeper cells nationwide and the architect of several high-profile kidnappings and robberies used to fund jihadist operations.”

He appeared in court alongside his deputy, Mahmud al-Nigeri, better known as Malam Mamuda, who faces trial on a 32-count indictment. Mamuda is alleged to have undergone combat and bomb-making training in Libya between 2013 and 2015 under foreign jihadist instructors.

Authorities link the Ansaru network to some of Nigeria’s most audacious attacks, including the July 2022 storming of Kuje Prison in Abuja, which freed over 600 inmates, and the 2022 assault on the Nigerian Army’s Wawa Cantonment in Niger State.

The pair are also accused of masterminding several high-profile abductions, such as the 2013 kidnapping of French engineer Francis Collomp, the 2019 abduction of Musa Uba (Magajin Garin Daura), and the abduction of the Emir of Wawa.

The conviction marks a major breakthrough in ongoing efforts to dismantle Ansaru’s leadership and disrupt its funding pipelines.