Two senior members of the terrorist group Ansaru, including its self-proclaimed Emir, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a Federal High Court in Abuja, after they admitted to multiple terrorism-related offences.
The first defendant, Mahmud Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a, Abbas and Mukhtar, told the court he was 50 years old and had 19 children.
He was convicted alongside Abubakar Abba, also known as Mahmud al-Nigeri and Malam Mamuda, identified by the prosecution as the group’s deputy leader and chief of staff.
The duo had been arraigned earlier this year by the State Security Services (SSS) on a 32-count charge bordering on terrorism, terrorism financing, kidnapping for ransom, illegal mining, fabrication of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), and related offences.
At their initial arraignment, Usman admitted only to the charge of illegal mining to finance terrorism and was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment on that count, while contesting the remaining charges.
Abba, on his part, denied all 32 counts.
However, at the last adjourned date on July 9, Abba notified the court of his decision to change his plea but sought time to consult his lawyer. Justice Emeka Nwite granted the request and fixed July 20 for further proceedings.
When the matter came up on Monday, both defendants changed their pleas and admitted guilt to all 32 counts. The court subsequently convicted them on each count.
Following an allocutus by their counsel, Bala Dakun, Justice Nwite sentenced both men to life imprisonment on some counts.
They were also handed 20-year jail terms without the option of a fine on most of the remaining counts.
In addition, the court imposed a 25-year prison sentence on another count against both defendants, while Abba alone received an extra 15-year sentence on another count.
Justice Nwite ordered that all the sentences should run concurrently, with effect from the dates of their arrests.
The court noted that the SSS apprehended the two men in separate operations conducted between May and July 2025.
