US President Donald Trump
By EMMANUEL KUJE Abuja-
United States Government has praised Nigeria’s recent apprehension of suspected Ansaru terrorist leaders, calling it a significant milestone in the nation’s fight against terrorism.
In a statement shared on X by the U.S. Mission in Nigeria on Monday, the U.S. commended the Nigerian government and security forces for their success in capturing wanted Ansaru figures, Mahmud Muhammad Usman (also known as Abu Bara’a) and Mahmud al-Nigeri (aka Mallam Mamuda).
“This achievement marks a crucial advancement in Nigeria’s ongoing battle against terrorism and violent extremism,” the statement read.
It would be recalled that National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu announced the arrests on August 16. He revealed that the suspects, long on Nigeria’s wanted list, were detained through intelligence-driven operations conducted between May and July.
Ribadu noted that Abu Bara’a, who declared himself the Emir of Ansaru, orchestrated terror cells nationwide and planned kidnappings and robberies to fund the group’s activities.
The suspects were also tied to major incidents, including the 2022 Kuje prison attack in Abuja, which freed numerous Boko Haram prisoners, the 2013 assault on a uranium facility in Niger Republic, the 2019 abduction of Musa Uba, the Magajin Garin Daura, and the kidnapping of the Emir of Wawa in Niger State, as well as the 2013 abduction of French engineer Francis Collomp in Katsina.
