Two top leaders of Ansaru, an Al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group, have arrived the Federal High Court in Abuja for arraignment on terrorism-related charges amid heavy security.
They were brought before trial judge Emeka Nwite, on the fourth floor of the court complex, at about 9 a.m. on Thursday.
The two globally wanted defendants are Mahmud Muhammed Usman (a.k.a. Abu Bara’a/Abbas Mukhtar) and his deputy, Abubakar Abba (a.k.a. Isah Adam/Mahmud Al-Nigeri).
They face 32 terrorism-related charges.
As early as 8:06 a.m. on Thursday, amid heavy rainfall, operatives of the State Security Service (SSS) armed with rifles, had taken positions at the entrances of the Federal High Court on the Shehu Shagary Expressway, in the Central Business District, Abuja.
When the suspects were brought to the courtroom at about 9:09 a.m., journalists were barred from entering the court premises.
SSS operatives stopped broadcast journalists from mounting their cameras to capture the unfolding scenes. The security agents insisted that no recording devices would be allowed.
Eventually, a few broadcast journalists were allowed into the court, while the operatives stood guard at the entrance with their weapons, preventing others from gaining entry.
The defendants were captured alive following a high-risk, intelligence-led, multi-agency operation conducted between May and July 2025. National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu announced the high-profile arrest mid-August.
The federal government, through M.B. Abubakar, the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, filed the charges on 4 September, on behalf of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi.
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One of the counts accused Mr Usman, from Okene Local Government Area of Kogi State, and Mr Abba, from Daura LGA of Katsina State, of aiding and abetting terrorism between 2013 and 2015.
They were also accused of conspiring and agreeing to be part of the formation and leadership of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimeena Fii Bilaadis Sudan (Ansaru), a proscribed terrorist organisation in Nigeria.
The proceedings were underway as of the time of filing this report.
