Convicted militant admits using illegal mining proceeds to fund arms for attacks and kidnappings
The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced a top commander of the proscribed Ansaru terrorist group, Mahmud Usman, to 15 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to terrorism financing.
Usman, who operated under several aliases including Abu Bara’a, Abbas, and Mukhtar, confessed before the court that he engaged in illegal mining activities and channeled the proceeds into acquiring weapons for terror operations and kidnappings across Nigeria.
The conviction was delivered on Thursday by trial judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, who also ordered that Usman and his deputy, Abubakar Abba, popularly known as Mahmud Al-Nigeri or Isah Adam/Mallam Mamuda remain in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS). While Usman pleaded guilty to one count out of the 32 charges filed against him, his co-defendant maintained his innocence on all counts, leaving 31 counts still pending before the court.
The prosecution, led by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, M.B. Abubakar, accused the duo of playing central roles as top commanders of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimeena Fii Bilaadis Sudan (JAMBS/Ansaru), a group linked to the global Al-Qaeda network. According to the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/464/2025, the Federal Government alleged that the pair aided and abetted terrorist attacks across Nigeria between 2013 and 2015, received weapons and explosives training from Jama’atu Nusratil Islami Wal Muslimin (JNIM) in Mali, and coordinated sleeper cells to execute high-profile crimes.
Usman, identified as the mastermind of several kidnappings and armed robberies used to finance terrorism, was also implicated in the 2022 attack on Wawa Cantonment in New-Bussa, Niger State, where scores of Nigerian Army personnel were killed. Security agencies described him as a “notorious coordinator of terrorist sleeper cells nationwide.”
Both Usman and Abubakar were captured between May and July 2025 in intelligence-led operations. Their arrest was publicly announced on August 16 by National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, who disclosed that the men had long been on national and international terror watchlists.
Ansaru, which broke away from the Boko Haram sect, has been responsible for a string of deadly attacks, abductions, and armed robberies across the country. Security experts say the group has continued to maintain ties with foreign jihadist movements while exploiting local criminal networks for funding.
In a related development, the DSS also arraigned an alleged gunrunner, Hucaifa Haruna, before the same court on a five-count charge of supplying arms to terrorist groups. Haruna pleaded not guilty, and Justice Nwite ordered that he remain in DSS custody until October 17, when his trial will commence.
The latest convictions and arraignments mark a significant step in Nigeria’s ongoing counter-terrorism efforts as authorities intensify crackdowns on terror financing and armed networks across the country.
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