Nigeria’s security forces have arrested two top terrorist commanders believed to be masterminds of the 2022 Kuje prison attack and several high-profile abductions across the North.
The suspects, identified as Abu Baraa and Mahmuda, both leaders of the al-Qaeda-linked Ansaru group, were captured in a joint operation involving the military, police, Department of State Services (DSS), and other agencies.
National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, announced the breakthrough on Saturday at the National Counter-Terrorism Centre in Abuja, where he addressed journalists alongside service chiefs, the Inspector-General of Police, and the DSS Director-General.
Ribadu said the operation was intelligence-led and months in the making, stressing that the arrests marked “one of the most significant counter-terrorism victories in recent years.”
He explained that Ansaru, a splinter group of Boko Haram formed in 2012, initially presented itself as a humane alternative before aligning with al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. The group, he said, entrenched itself in sleeper cells across the North and forest enclaves around Kainji National Park.
“Today, I am glad to inform you that we have successfully concluded a high-risk counter-terrorism operation which led to the capture of the top leadership of Ansaru, Nigeria’s al-Qaeda affiliate,” Ribadu declared.
Security analysts believe the arrests could cripple Ansaru’s ability to coordinate attacks, given the duo’s role in strategy and international jihadist connections.
Ribadu assured Nigerians that the Tinubu administration remains committed to dismantling terror cells and restoring peace. “This operation is only the beginning. Nigeria will not be a safe haven for insurgents or bandits,” he said.
