Top commanders of the terrorist group (Ansaru) have been killed by the Nigerian Army in a major security operation between May and July 2025.
This development was announced by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu at a press briefing on Saturday.
He said that Mahmud Usman (also known as Abu Bara’a) and his deputy, Mahmud al-Nigeri (popularly known as Mallam Mamuda), were identified as the masterminds of several high-profile attacks, including the 2022 Kuje prison break.
According to the NSA, the duo had been on Nigeria’s most-wanted list for years. Their killing followed what the NSA described as a “high-risk, intelligence-led” counter-terrorism operation that spanned multiple states and forest enclaves in northern Nigeria.
“This marks one of the most significant achievements in our efforts to rid Nigeria of terrorism,” Mr Ribadu said. “The successful decapitation of the Ansaru leadership is a decisive blow to the group’s operations.”
Abu Bara’a, described as Ansaru’s self-styled “emir,” coordinated terrorist sleeper cells across Nigeria and financed operations through kidnappings and armed robberies. His deputy, Mamuda, led a forest-based cell around Kainji National Park and was trained by foreign jihadists in Libya.