A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced Mahmud Usman, a commander of the proscribed Ansaru sect, to 15 years in prison.
Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a, Abbas or Mukhtar, pleaded guilty on Thursday to charges of engaging in illegal mining and using the proceeds to procure arms for terrorism and kidnapping operations.
Justice Emeka Nwite ordered that Usman remain in the custody of the Department of State Services, DSS, pending trial on 31 other terrorism-related charges
Usman, who referred to himself as the “Emir of Ansaru,” was arraigned alongside his deputy and chief of staff, Mahmud al-Nigeri, also known as Malam Mamuda.
Both men face a 32-count charge bordering on leading a terrorist organisation, financing terrorism, recruiting fighters, and coordinating violent attacks across Nigeria.
Ansaru militants were linked to the July 2022 attack on Kuje prison in Abuja, during which over 600 inmates, including 64 Boko Haram suspects, escaped.
The DSS accuses the commanders of masterminding the July 2022 Kuje prison attack, which freed more than 600 inmates.
They also allegedly planned the Niger uranium facility attack and multiple kidnappings, including that of French engineer Francis Collomp in 2013.
Apart from that, they also committed other alleged crimes, including the 2019 abduction of Alhaji Musa Umar Uba, Magajin Garin Daura, and several armed robberies.
