The Abuja division of the Federal High Court has convicted and sentenced Mahmud Usman, a commander of the proscribed Ansaru sect, to 15 years in prison for terrorism-related offences.
Usman, (commonly known as Abu Bara’a, Abbas, or Mukhtar), pleaded guilty to charges of engaging in illegal mining and using the proceeds to procure arms for terrorist and kidnapping operations, upon his arraignment.
Bara’a, who hails from Okene Local Government,Kogi State, and Abubakar Abba (aka Isah Adam or Mahmud Al-Nigeri), who hail from Daura, Katsina State, were arraigned by the Department of State Service (DSS) on 32 counts of terrorism and related offences.
However, Bara’a, who is the first defendant, pleaded guilty to Count 10, which was on illegal mining. The presiding judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, consequently convicted him of the crime and sentenced him to 15 years in prison.
The second alleged Ansaru Commander, Abubakar Abba, who was arraigned alongside the convict however, denied the economic sabotage offence.
In his judgment, Justice Emeka Nwite ordered that the convict remain in the custody of the DSS pending trial on 31 other counts filed against him.
Usman, the self styled “Emir of Ansaru,” appeared in court alongside his deputy and chief of staff, Mahmud al-Nigeri, popularly called Malam Mamuda.
Both men face a 32-count indictment accusing them of leading a terrorist organisation, financing its activities, recruiting fighters, and coordinating violent attacks across Nigeria.
Security agencies linked Ansaru militants to several high-profile attacks, including the July 2022 raid on Kuje Prison in Abuja, where more than 600 inmates, including 64 Boko Haram suspects, escaped.
They were also accused of the 2022 attack on the Nigerian Army’s Wawa Cantonment in Niger State, which left many casualties.
National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu had described Usman as “the coordinator of terrorist sleeper cells across Nigeria and the mastermind of several high-profile kidnappings and armed robberies used to fund terrorism.”
Mamuda, his deputy, was said to have trained in Libya between 2013 and 2015 under foreign jihadist instructors, specialising in weapons handling and improvised explosive device (IED) fabrication.
The duo have also been linked to the 2013 abduction of French engineer Francis Collomp, the 2019 kidnapping of Musa Uba (Magajin Garin Daura), and the abduction of the Emir of Wawa.
At the arraignment proceedings, the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Mohammed Babadoko Abubakar alleged in the charges that the two defendants committed the crime between 2015 and 2024
Among others, they were accused of bombing Wawa Military Cantonment in Borgu LG ,Niger State, receiving training in weapon handling and fabrication of improvised explosive devices.
The security agency alleged that they belonged to foreign terror groups, engaged terrorism financing, kidnapping and receiving training on war tactic from a terrorising organization in Mali.
In another charges, DSS accused them of kidnapping a Custom officer and another Immigration Officer,who was killed while in their custody.
The Secret Police claimed that the accused persons collected ransom running into millions of naira from families of their victims before the long arms of the DSS captured them. Similarly, they were accused of engaging in unlawful mining of mineral resources without valid license from which they also made millions of naira.
One of the charges by DSS against the two defendants is that the huge sums made from kidnapping ransom and unlawful minerals mining were deployed to the procurement of huge arms and ammunitions including improvised explosive devices.
The DSS further alleged that the two men received training on terrorism and war tactics in Sudan and Mali and also facilitated same for their followers. In another charge, they were accused of concealing information on terror attacks on various locations in Niger State.
Following their denial of the charges, Justice Emeka Nwite ordered them to remanded at the DSS facility in Abuja.
The Judge fixed October for commencement of their trial.
In another charge, an alleged gunrunner, Hucaifa Haruna,was slammed with 5-count charge by DSS before the same Judge. The accused person ,however, pleaded not guilty to all the charges and was also ordered to be remanded at the DSS facility pending his trial on October 17.
The two terror commanders were apprehended in a recent operation by a joint security team in a forest location.
Police, NDLEA pledge stronger collaboration to tackle drug abuse
The Sokoto State Police Command and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have resolved to deepen their collaboration in the fight against drug trafficking, substance abuse, and related crimes in the state.
This followed a courtesy visit by the newly posted NDLEA State Commander, Commander of Narcotics Mustapha Muhammad Gidado (CN), to the Commissioner of Police, Sokoto State Command, CP Ahmed Musa at the police Command Headquarters yesterday.
Gidado, who assumed duty recently, commended the police for their long-standing cooperation with the NDLEA and stressed the inseparable link between drug abuse and the rising wave of insecurity across the country.
He said that many crimes including banditry, kidnapping, and theft were fuelled by illicit drug consumption.
“The NDLEA under my watch will intensify efforts to dismantle drug distribution networks across Sokoto State. But this mission cannot be successful without the full support of the police and other security agencies.
“ Together, through intelligence-led operations and preventive measures, we can save our youth and make Sokoto safer,” the Commander said.
Responding, CP Musa congratulated Gidado on his new posting and assured him of the unwavering support of the Nigeria Police Force.
He said that collaboration among security agencies is critical to winning the war against drugs and reducing criminality.
“Drug abuse is at the root of most crimes we are battling daily. Our partnership with the NDLEA is not optional, it is a necessity if we want to secure our communities. We will strengthen intelligence sharing, sustain joint operations, and work as one family to protect Sokoto State”
At the end of the meeting, both agencies resolved to maintain open communication channels and conduct regular reviews of their strategies to ensure maximum impact in curbing the menace of drugs and criminality.
Kano probe panel investigates controversial Challawa Abattoir
The Chairman, Kano State Investigative committee on Challawa Abattoir, Muhuyi Magaji Rimingado, has led the members of the panel on a fact-finding mission to the controversial facility.
During an on-site inspection of the abandoned facility, Rimingado expressed shock at the scale and ambition of the project, noting that his initial assumption was a relatively small operation.
“What we’ve found here is far beyond expectations,” he stated. “Even the remaining machinery—less than 10% of what was originally installed—represents a huge loss. This facility had the potential to revolutionize meat production and processing in Kano, he stated.
He explained that the abattoir was designed to fully utilize all animal by-products—including hides, horns, fur, bones, and even blood, which was intended to be recycled as fish feed in designated ponds.
This was a vision with immense economic, social, and industrial potential,” he added.
Rimingado praised the foresight of the administration that conceptualized the project, describing it as a forward-thinking model capable of positioning Kano as a major hub for meat export and youth employment.
He ,however, lamented the actions of unpatriotic elements whose selfish interests, he said, derailed a project that could have delivered tremendous value to the state.
On the question of accountability, Rimingado clarified that the committee’s mandate is purely investigative.
“We are not here to witch-hunt anyone. As professionals, we will present a detailed and unbiased report—without fear or favour. The responsibility for action lies with the government,” he stated.
He urged citizens to rekindle their sense of patriotism, emphasizing that only through collective responsibility and integrity wouldn’t Kano State attain its rightful place among Nigeria’s leading economies.
Girl, 18, narrates how she declined to engage in prostitution after she was trafficked to Mali
An 18-year old girl, Faith Joseph ,yesterday, narrated how she refused to engage in prostitution in Mali after she was tricked that she was going for a job in Lagos but ended up being trafficked to the Sahel country.
She told journalists, while speaking at the premises of the Edo State Migration Agency in Benin City that she was working as a maid in Afuze, Owan East Local Government, when she was told there was a sales girl job in Lagos .
Faith’s parents were said to have raised the alarm when they discovered that their daughter was trafficked to Mali, where she was rescued back to Nigeria with the support of the Edo Migration Agency.
Faith stated that she refused to engage in prostitution when she got to Mali, adding that she later ran into the police station from where she was rescued.
“I was told I would work in Lagos as a sales girl. When we got to Lagos at night, we slept in a hotel.
“The following day, we went to Cotonou and in Cotonou, I complained that we have passed Lagos State, she said we have not reached our destination. In Cotonou, she handed me to a driver,who took me to Mali the next day. In Mali, they took me to a lady, but I saw that it was not what I was told. What they are doing there in prostitution and I told her I would not do prostitution.
“I said I told her that I would like to go back home. She said I couldn’t go back until they would bring another person to replace me. I was in Mali for three weeks before I ran to the police station.
“Life was not easy for me in Mali because I refused to do prostitution. It was people that were giving me money to eat until I was rescued”, Faith narrated.
In his remarks, Director General of the Edo Migration Agency, Lucky Agazumah, urged the people of the state to report cases of human trafficking, adding that Governor Okpebholo was resolute to tackle human traffickers and ensured they are prosecuted.
