The Federal Government has attributed the capture of two senior commanders of the Ansaru terrorist group to improved intelligence sharing and coordination among Nigeria’s security and intelligence agencies.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja at a world press conference organised ahead of Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary.
Idris said the development demonstrated what he described as improved coordination among the security agencies under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
“During the time of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, we have seen greater coordination between security agencies and intelligence services. This, indeed, has led to the capture of one of the world’s most wanted terrorists, the so-called Mamuda and his chief of staff. Today, Mamuda and his chief of staff are having their day in court,” he said.
The minister said the suspects had attracted international bounties and were apprehended without an exchange of gunfire.
“These are people that even nations like the United States and Europe have placed bounties on their heads to capture them. But today, they have been captured without one shot fired. Now, this is an indication of the kind of coordination and collaboration and intelligence sharing happening between the armed forces and intelligence services that is leading to greater efficiency in terms of confronting these criminal elements,” Idris said.
However, records of the case show that the two men referred to by the minister are Mahmud Muhammad Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a, Abbas and Mukhtar, the self-styled Emir of Ansaru, and Abubakar Abba, also known as Mahmud al-Nigeri or Malam Mamuda, his deputy and chief of staff. The National Counter-Terrorism Centre had earlier described their capture as the result of a high-risk, intelligence-led counter-terrorism operation.
The two men had been on Nigeria’s national and international terror watch lists before their arrest in 2025. Security authorities linked them to Ansaru, an Al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist organisation, and accused them of involvement in several high-profile kidnappings and attacks.
The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, had previously said Usman coordinated Ansaru’s terrorist sleeper cells across Nigeria, while Mamuda led the group’s so-called Mahmudawa cell around the Kainji National Park axis covering parts of Niger and Kwara states and extending towards the Benin Republic.
Convicted Ansaru commanders
The Federal High Court in Abuja subsequently convicted the two men in July 2026 after they pleaded guilty to a 32-count terrorism charge filed by the Department of State Services.
Justice Emeka Nwite sentenced both men to life imprisonment on two of the counts, while additional 20-year terms were imposed on the remaining counts. The charges included terrorism, terrorism financing, kidnapping for ransom, illegal mining and the fabrication of improvised explosive devices.
The prosecution had also linked the defendants to several major criminal incidents, including the 2022 attack on the Kuje Correctional Centre, the abduction of French engineer Francis Collomp in Katsina State in 2013 and the 2019 kidnapping of Alhaji Musa Umar Uba, the Magajin Garin Daura.
Following the judgment, the DSS announced that it would appeal the life sentences, arguing that the punishment did not adequately reflect the gravity of the offences for which the men were convicted.
FG admits insecurity persists
Despite highlighting the capture of the Ansaru commanders, Idris acknowledged that the country had not completely overcome its security challenges.
He said terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other forms of criminality remained concerns in several parts of the country, adding that the Federal Government was continuing to strengthen the military and other security agencies.
According to him, additional military platforms and equipment had been approved for the Nigerian Army, Navy and Air Force, while some equipment ordered under the previous administration was now being delivered.
The minister also disclosed that President Tinubu had increased the number of Nigerian Army divisions from eight to 12.
He said the expansion was intended to bring troops closer to areas of operation and reduce the distance they had to cover when responding to security threats.
“All this is to ensure that the armed forces are being brought closer to areas of operation so that they don’t have to travel far and wide to confront these criminal elements and the sergeants who are making life difficult for people,” he said.
Idris further said the government had approved improved salaries and welfare packages for military personnel, describing the measures as necessary to boost troops’ morale.
He said greater collaboration among the armed forces, intelligence agencies and other security institutions was also being pursued to improve the country’s response to insecurity.
“Now, this is not to say that we have solved all the security challenges. The government has never said that. It has been completely resolved. But we are on a march towards exterminating this once and for all,” he said.
Abuja-Kaduna route
The minister cited improved travel between Abuja and Kaduna as an indication of changes in the country’s security situation, saying the route was now easier to travel than in previous years.
He nevertheless acknowledged that significant security challenges remained and that the government needed to do more.
“Do we need to do more? Yes, indeed, we need to do more. But are we where we were? Not at all. I think that we are moving towards solving this problem,” Idris said.
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