A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Thursday, September 11, 2025, convicted and sentenced Mahmud Usman, a commander of the proscribed terrorist group Ansaru, to 15 years imprisonment.
Usman, who was arraigned by the Department of State Services (DSS), pleaded guilty to charges of engaging in illegal mining activities used to fund the purchase of arms for terrorism and kidnapping operations.
The presiding judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, ordered that Usman remain in DSS custody pending trial on 31 additional charges preferred against him.
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According to a 32-count charge filed before the court, Usman and another suspect, Abubakar Abba, allegedly carried out terrorist attacks in 2022, including an assault on the Nigerian Army’s Wawa Cantonment in Kainji, New Bussa, Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, which resulted in multiple casualties.
The Ansaru members were further accused of receiving weapons training and learning to fabricate improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in various terrorist camps, as well as undergoing war tactics training from a terrorist organisation in Mali.
Justice Nwite adjourned further trial to October 21, 2025.
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