According to NTA, Mahmud Usman (aka Abu Bara’a/Abbas/Mukhtar),
the self-styled Emir of Ansaru; and Mahmud al-Nigeri (aka Malam Mamuda), Bara’s
deputy and chief of staff, who were recently arrested during operations by
security forces, are facing charges bordering on leading the terror
organisation, financing its activities, recruiting fighters, and coordinating
violent attacks across Nigeria.

The DSS is said to have expedited its investigation to
ensure a speedy prosecution, in line with the directive of the agency’s
director-general, who emphasised professionalism, justice, and respect for
human rights in handling terrorism cases.

Their arraignment before the federal high court in Abuja is
expected in the coming days.

In July 2022, Ansaru militants were linked to the attack on
Kuje prison in Abuja, where over 600 inmates, including 64 Boko Haram suspects,
escaped.

Nuhu Ribadu, national security adviser (NSA), had described
the two arrested commanders as masterminds of the jailbreak.

Abu Bara was described as the coordinator of terrorist
sleeper cells across Nigeria and the mastermind of several high-profile
kidnappings and armed robberies used to fund terrorism.

His deputy, Malam Mamuda, was said to have trained in Libya
between 2013 and 2015 under foreign jihadist instructors from Egypt, Tunisia,
and Algeria, specialising in weapons handling and Improvised Explosive Device
(IED) fabrication.

The NSA added that the suspects were also named in the 2013
abduction of French engineer Francis Collomp in Katsina, the 2019 kidnapping of
Musa Uba (Magajin Garin Daura), and the abduction of the Emir of Wawa.

Ribadu, who described their arrest as a turning point, said
the suspects have networks across Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.