Two commanders of the Ansaru terror group have admitted to receiving weapons and explosives training abroad, the Department of State Services (DSS) told a Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday.
The DSS officer, led in evidence by prosecution counsel David Kaswe, told the court that the suspects learned to manufacture and deploy improvised explosive devices (IEDs) while being trained by foreign instructors in Libya, Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria.
According to the witness, the first defendant, Mahmoud Muhammed Usman, was identified as a leader of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis Sudan (Ansaru) and arrested following extensive intelligence gathering. The second defendant, Abubakar Abba, was apprehended at Ugwan Musa Bypass in Kaduna State.
The officer further testified that both defendants admitted to being members of Ansaru, a breakaway faction of Boko Haram, allegedly involved in terrorism, kidnapping, armed robbery, and illegal mining across the North-West, North-Central, South-West, and parts of Edo and Delta states.
The defendants reportedly confessed to founding Ansaru in Jigawa State in 2012 and to participating in violent attacks, including a 2020 assault on a Nigerian Army formation in Wawa, which resulted in multiple soldier casualties.
They also allegedly admitted to kidnapping the in-law of former President Muhammadu Buhari, an immigration officer, and a customs officer.
The DSS officer added that the second defendant swore allegiance to Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), which allegedly supplied the group with arms and ammunition.
Defense counsel Bala Dakum attempted to block the admissibility of the confessional statements, arguing they should not be used in court. Prosecution counsel countered that the confessions were made voluntarily, in the presence of a Legal Aid Council lawyer, and in compliance with the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.
Justice Emeka Nwite subsequently ordered a trial-within-a-trial to determine the admissibility of the statements.
The case has been adjourned to April 13, 2026, for the commencement of the trial-within-a-trial.
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