Abuja Court Jails Ansaru Commander 15 Years for Terrorism-Linked Illeg@l Mining

A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced Mahmud Usman, a commander of the banned Ansaru sect, to 15 years in prison for using illeg@l mining proceeds to fund terr+rism and kidn+pping.

Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a, Abbas, or Mukhtar, pleaded guilty on Thursday. Justice Emeka Nwite ordered he remain in DSS custody pending trial on 31 other charges. He was arraigned with his deputy, Mahmud al-Nigeri (Malam Mamuda), both facing a 32-count indictment for leading a terr+rist group, recruiting f+ghters, and coordinating vi+lent attacks.

Under their watch, Ansaru militants were linked to the July 2022 Kuje prison break that freed over 600 inmates, including 64 Boko Haram suspects, and the d+adly ass+¥lt on Wawa Cantonment in Niger State.

NSA Nuhu Ribadu earlier described Usman as the “coordinator of terr+rist sleeper cells across Nigeria and the mastermind of several high-profile kidn+ppings and armed r+bberies used to fund terr+rism.” He revealed Mamuda trained in Libya between 2013 and 2015 under foreign jihadists, specialising in weapons and IEDs.

The pair were also tied to the 2013 kidn+pping of French engineer Francis Collomp, the 2019 abduction of Musa Uba (Magajin Garin Daura), and the kidn+pping of the Emir of Wawa. Ribadu hailed their capture as a “milestone,” noting:

“The suspects have networks across Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.”

The conviction underscores how illeg@l mining has become a key funding source for terror groups and the government’s push to dismantle such networks.

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