Nigeria Arrests Most Wanted Terror Leaders Behind Kuje Prison Break and High-Profile Kidnappings

Nigeria has achieved a historic breakthrough in its counter-terrorism campaign with the arrest of two of its most wanted fugitives Mahmud Muhammad Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a, and his deputy, Mahmud al-Nigeri, widely called Mallam Mamuda.

The two men, long on the wanted lists of Nigeria, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the United Nations, were captured in a series of high-risk, intelligence-led operations conducted between May and July 2025. National Security Adviser Malam Nuhu Ribadu announced their arrest at a press briefing on Saturday evening, describing the operation as “one of the most decisive blows ever dealt to terrorism in Nigeria”

Abu Bara’a, the self-styled Emir of Ansaru, was the coordinator of multiple terrorist sleeper cells across the country and the mastermind of high-profile kidnappings and armed robberies used to bankroll jihadist operations. His deputy, Mamuda, was the commander of the notorious “Mahmudawa” cell entrenched around the Kainji National Park axis, spanning Niger and Kwara States into Benin Republic. Ribadu disclosed that Mamuda 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 pair are linked to some of Nigeria’s most brazen terrorist acts in the past decade, including the 2022 Kuje prison break, the attack on the Niger uranium facility, the 2013 abduction of French engineer Francis Collomp in Katsina, the 2019 kidnapping of Alhaji Musa Umar Uba, Magajin Garin Daura, and the abduction of the Emir of Wawa. Their operations also targeted Nigerian security forces, civilian communities, and critical infrastructure while maintaining direct links with jihadist groups across Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.

“These two men have orchestrated years of bloodshed and destruction. Their capture dismantles Ansaru’s central command and marks a turning point in our fight against terrorism,” Ribadu declared.

Ansaru short for Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan was formed in January 2012 as a splinter faction from Boko Haram. Initially branding itself as a “humane alternative,” the group quickly revealed its true character through attacks on security forces, kidnappings, and armed raids. Its adoption of the Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) insignia symbolised its ideological and operational ties to global jihadist movements. Over the years, Ansaru established both urban sleeper cells and entrenched forest enclaves, especially in the Kainji National Park region.

The arrests of Abu Bara’a and Mamuda, described by Ribadu as “the most wanted terror leaders in Nigeria,” mark a decisive moment in the country’s war against insurgency. Authorities believe that the capture of its emir and deputy commander has effectively crippled Ansaru’s leadership structure, clearing the path for the group’s eventual annihilation.