A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced two senior commanders of the Ansaru terrorist group to life imprisonment after they pleaded guilty to terrorism, kidnapping for ransom, terrorism financing and other related offences.
The convicts, Mahmud Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a, Abbas and Mukhtar, described by prosecutors as the self-styled Emir of Ansaru, and Abubakar Abba, alias Mahmud al-Nigeri and Malam Mamuda, admitted guilt to a 32-count charge filed against them by the Department of State Services (DSS).
The pair were identified as key masterminds of the abduction of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, an incident that drew nationwide attention. Prosecutors said the terrorists had demanded their release as part of negotiations during the hostage crisis.
Justice Emeka Nwite convicted the defendants on all counts after they changed their earlier not guilty pleas to guilty.
The court sentenced both men to life imprisonment on counts relating to terrorism and kidnapping, while imposing 20-year prison terms on multiple other counts, including terrorism financing, conspiracy and related offences. Usman had earlier received a 15-year sentence for illegal mining used to finance terrorist activities, while Abba was sentenced to 15 years on another count. They were also handed 25-year jail terms on an additional count. The court ordered that all sentences run concurrently from the date of their arrest.
During the plea for leniency, defence counsel Bala Dakun urged the court to temper justice with mercy, arguing that the defendants had shown remorse, saved judicial time by pleading guilty and expressed willingness to assist security agencies with intelligence on terrorist operations and financing networks.
Usman, who told the court he is 50 years old and has 19 children, also pleaded for mercy, citing poor health and the hardship his imprisonment would cause his family. Abba, 35, said he has a wife and three children.
The court, however, held that the gravity of the offences warranted severe punishment.
The DSS arrested the two men in separate operations between May and July 2025. They faced charges bordering on terrorism, terrorism financing, kidnapping for ransom, illegal mining, fabrication of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and coordinating sleeper cells linked to terrorist groups operating across the Sahel and Maghreb regions.
