Court sentences Ansaru commander to 15 years for illegal mining tied to terrorism
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has convicted Mahmud Usman, a commander of the proscribed terrorist organization Ansaru, sentencing him to fifteen years imprisonment for illegal mining activities that were used to facilitate arms acquisition for terrorism and kidnapping.
The Department of State Services (DSS) brought Usman to trial, where he pleaded guilty to the charges against him.
Justice Emeka Nwite ordered Usman to be remanded in DSS custody, pending his trial on thirty-one additional charges laid against him by the agency.
The extensive thirty-two count charge outlines that Usman, alongside Abubakar Abba, allegedly committed acts of terrorism in 2022, including an attack on the Wawa Cantonment of the Nigerian Army in Kainji, which resulted in numerous casualties.
They are also accused of receiving training in weapons handling and the fabrication of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) from various terrorist camps and have been linked to war tactics training from a terrorist group in Mali.
In addition to the recent sentencing, Justice Nwite has scheduled the next trial date for October 21. The DSS accuses Usman and his co-defendants of orchestrating the July 2022 Kuje prison attack, which resulted in the escape of over 600 inmates.
Further allegations against them include planning an attack on the Niger uranium facility and orchestrating multiple kidnappings, notably the abduction of French engineer Francis Collomp in 2013, as well as involvement in other high-profile crimes such as the 2019 kidnapping of Alhaji Musa Umar Uba, Magajin Garin Daura, and various armed robberies.
National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu has confirmed the arrests, attributing them to coordinated security operations.
He described Usman as the “self-styled Emir of Ansaru,” claiming he coordinated numerous terrorist sleeper cells across Nigeria, with Mamuda serving as his “chief of staff” leading a cell known as “Mahmudawa” around Kainji National Park.
Ansaru originated in January 2012 in Kano as a splinter faction from Boko Haram.
Source: TheCable
