Two senior commanders of the proscribed terrorist group Ansaru have pleaded guilty to a 32-count charge bordering on terrorism, kidnapping, and other violent crimes before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The suspects, identified as Mammuda and Abu Baraa, were arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) and arraigned in September 2025.
According to the DSS, the defendants admitted to several offences linked to terrorist operations across Nigeria, including attacks on security formations and high-profile kidnappings.
Prosecutors alleged that the two commanders participated in the 2022 attack on the Nigerian Army’s Wawa Cantonment in Kainji, Niger State, an assault that reportedly resulted in heavy casualties among security personnel.
The court also heard that the suspects received specialised training in weapons handling, guerrilla warfare, and the fabrication of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) at terrorist camps. Investigators further alleged that they underwent advanced military training in Mali, while Mammuda reportedly trained under foreign jihadist instructors in Libya between 2013 and 2015.
The DSS accused the pair of masterminding the July 2022 attack on the Kuje Medium Security Custodial Centre in Abuja, during which more than 600 inmates escaped.
They were also linked to the planned attack on a uranium facility in Niger State and several kidnapping operations, including the abduction of French engineer Francis Collomp in 2013.
Additional charges include the 2019 kidnapping of Alhaji Musa Umar Uba, the Magajin Garin Daura, as well as multiple armed robbery operations.
The case is expected to proceed to sentencing following the defendants’ guilty plea.