National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has given more details on the arrest of top commanders of Ansaru, the Al-Qaeda affiliate in Nigeria, and its allied Mahmudawa faction, describing the breakthrough as a decisive blow against terrorism.

Those captured include the group’s self-styled Emir, Mahmud Mohammed Usman, also known as Abu Baraa, and his deputy, Mahmud al-Nigeri, widely called Mallam Mamuda.

Briefing journalists in Abuja, Ribadu said the high-risk operation, conducted between May and July 2025, dismantled the core leadership of the group after years of nationwide manhunt.

According to him, Abu Baraa coordinated sleeper cells across the country and masterminded high-profile kidnappings and armed robberies to finance terror operations, while Mamuda — who trained in Libya under jihadists from North Africa — specialised in explosives and improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

The two men have been on Nigeria’s most-wanted list for years and are linked to several attacks, including the 2022 Kuje Prison break, the kidnap of French engineer Francis Collomp in 2013, the abduction of Daura kingmaker Musa Umar Uba in 2019, the attack on a uranium facility in Niger, and the kidnap of the Emir of Wawa.

Ribadu described their arrests as the most significant victory against Ansaru since it broke away from Boko Haram in 2012 and aligned with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

“This is a decisive step. Their command structure has been dismantled and a clear path opened for the total wipe-out of Ansaru,” he said.

He revealed that a cache of digital evidence was recovered and is being analysed to expose the group’s remaining networks and foreign collaborators.

The NSA commended the Armed Forces and intelligence agencies for their “seamless” coordination and expressed gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his strategic support.

He urged citizens to remain vigilant and continue providing information to security agencies.

Present at the briefing were the Minister of Information, Service Chiefs, Inspector-General of Police, Director-General of the DSS, Director-General of the NIA, and the Chief of Defence Intelligence.