A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Wednesday ruled that the trial of two leaders of the Ansaru terrorist group, Mahmud Usman and Abubakar Abba, captured by the Department of State Services (DSS), will begin on January 15, 2026.

The trial, initially slated to begin on Wednesday, was postponed by the trial judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, following a plea by counsel for the accused for time to enable them to be served with the charges and to study the proof of evidence.

At Wednesday’s proceedings, the lawyer to the accused, B. I. Bakum, told the court that the charge and proof of evidence were still with the DSS, where the suspects were being detained on court orders.

The lawyer prayed the court to move the defendants to a correctional centre to allow easier access and ensure a prompt and hitch-free trial.

However, counsel to the DSS, David Kaswe, an Assistant Director in the Federal Ministry of Justice, opposed the defendants’ lawyer’s request.

Kaswe urged the court to begin the trial as scheduled, noting that the witnesses were present in court.

He stated that protocol at the DSS requires a defendant’s lawyer to write to the agency seeking permission to see their clients, with a copy to the prosecutor, something Bakum had allegedly failed to do.

Kaswe pleaded with the judge to order the defendants’ lawyer to always follow DSS protocol by formally requesting visits and copying the prosecutor so that he could assist.

Justice Nwite, in a brief ruling, said he would, in the interest of fair hearing, consider the submission of the defendants’ lawyer and adjourn the trial to a future date.

In shifting the trial to January 15, 2026, Justice Nwite ordered the defendants’ lawyer to always write to the DSS for permission to visit his clients and copy the prosecutor.

Usman and Abubakar Abba are being prosecuted for terrorism by the DSS. Usman has pleaded guilty to Count 10 of the 32-count charge, which relates to economic crime, while Abubakar Abba pleaded not guilty to all 32 counts. Usman denied the remaining 31 counts.

Usman was sentenced on September 11 to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to one count. He admitted to engaging in illegal mining activities and using the proceeds to acquire arms that facilitated terrorism and kidnapping.

At the arraignment, the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Mohammed Babadoko Abubakar, alleged that the two defendants committed the crimes between 2015 and 2024.

Among other charges, they were accused of bombing Wawa Military Cantonment in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, receiving weapons training, and fabricating improvised explosive devices.

The DSS alleged they belonged to foreign terror groups, engaged in terrorism financing and kidnapping, and received training on war tactics from a terrorist organization in Mali.

They were also accused of kidnapping a Customs officer and an Immigration officer, the latter of whom was later killed while in their custody. The secret police claimed the defendants collected ransoms running into millions of naira from victims’ families before their capture.

They were accused of unlawful mining of mineral resources without a valid license, generating millions of naira, and using the proceeds to procure large quantities of arms and ammunition, including improvised explosive devices.

The DSS further alleged that the two men received training in terrorism and war tactics in Sudan and Mali and facilitated the same for their followers. They were also accused of concealing information on terror attacks in various locations in Niger State.

Following their denial of the charges, Justice Nwite ordered them to be remanded at the DSS facility in Abuja.

Ansaru, a breakaway faction of Boko Haram, has been linked to several high-profile attacks and kidnappings across the country.

Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a, is facing a 32-count charge alongside his alleged deputy, Abubakar Abba, popularly called Mahmud Al-Nigeri or Isah Adam/Mallam Mamuda.

The DSS alleged that the defendants, captured between May and July 2025 after intelligence-led operations, masterminded various acts of terrorism.