Two Ansaru Commanders, Three Others Arraigned Over Terrorism Charges in Nigeria

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Two top Ansaru commanders and three others have been arraigned in a Federal High Court in Abuja over fresh charges of terrorism. The accused, who include Abubakar Abba Mahmuda Abu Bara'a and Abubakar Abbas, aka Mallam Mahmuda Al-Nigeri, have pleaded not guilty. They are facing charges that include terrorism, kidnapping, concealment, incitement, and illegal mining.

The Federal Government arraigned the five accused persons before a vacation judge of the Federal High Court in Abuja. The charges against them include being members of a proscribed terrorist organisation, Darul Salam, and an affiliate of Jamaatu Asarul Muslima Fi Bilandis Sudan (Ansaru).

Among those docked before the judge are two alleged commanders of the Ansaru terrorist group, Abubakar Abba Mahmuda Abu Bara'a and Abubakar Abbas, aka Mallam Mahmuda Al-Nigeri. Though the duo were captured by the Department of State Services (DSS) in August 2025, the security agency described the three other defendants as foot soldiers who were complicit in the Oriire school attack.

The three defendants who pleaded guilty to some of the allegations against them include Abdulrazak Umar (a.k.a. Abu Khalifa/Abu Khalid), Yunusa Musa (a.k.a. Yunusa bin Musa), and Shamsu Adamu Sani (a.k.a. Abu Itisar). They admitted that they had concealed information about the masterminds of the school attack and were members of Darul Salam, a proscribed terrorist organisation.

The Federal High Court in Abuja fixed September 24 for the commencement of trial of the defendants, whom the court remanded in the custody of the DSS.

A recent judgment by the same court sentenced three persons to life imprisonment over their complicity in the kidnapping of students and teachers of a school in Oriire.

The Department of State Services (DSS) expressed its intention to appeal the judgment on the ground that the court ought to have sentenced the convicts to death.