The Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Emeka Nwite, has scheduled the trial of Ansaru terrorist group leaders, Mahmud Usman and Abubakar Abba, to commence on the 15th of January, 2026. The two men were captured by the Department of State Services (DSS).
The trial was originally slated to begin on Wednesday, the 19th of November, 2025, but was delayed by the judge in response to a request from the defense counsel, who sought additional time to enable them to be served with the charges and to study the evidence.
During the proceedings at Wednesday’s proceedings, the lawyer representing the accused, B. I. Bakum, informed the court that the legal documents were still in the custody of the DSS, which is the agency holding the suspects where the suspects were being detained on court orders. Bakum then prayed the court to move the defendants to a correctional centre to ease access and facilitate a prompt and hitch-free trial.
However, the request was immediately met with opposition from the prosecution. The DSS’s counsel, David Kaswe, an Assistant Director in the Federal Ministry of Justice, opposed the defendants’ lawyer’s request.
Kaswe urged the court to begin the trial as scheduled, noting that the witnesses were present in court. He contended that protocol at the DSS requires a defendant’s lawyer to write to the agency seeking permission to see their clients, with a copy to the prosecutor, something Bakum had allegedly failed to do. Kaswe then pleaded with the judge to order the defendants’ lawyer to always follow DSS protocol by formally requesting visits and copying the prosecutor so that he could assist.
Justice Nwite delivered a brief ruling, stating that he would, in the interest of fair hearing, consider the submission of the defendants’ lawyer and adjourn the trial to a future date. In announcing the new trial date, in shifting the trial to the 15th of January, 2026, the judge also ordered the defendants’ lawyer to always write to the DSS for permission to visit his clients and copy the prosecutor.
Mahmud Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a, and his alleged deputy, Abubakar Abba, popularly called Mahmud Al-Nigeri or Isah Adam/Mallam Mamuda, are facing terrorism charges being prosecuted for terrorism by the DSS. Usman is facing a 32-count charge alongside his alleged deputy, and although he denied the remaining 31 counts, he has pleaded guilty to Count 10 of the 32-count charge, which relates to economic crime. Usman was previously sentenced on the 11th of September, to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to one count where he admitted to engaging in illegal mining activities and using the proceeds to acquire arms that facilitated terrorism and kidnapping. Abubakar Abba, however, pleaded not guilty to all 32 counts.
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At the arraignment, the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Mohammed Babadoko Abubakar, alleged that the two defendants committed the crimes between 2015 and 2024. The charges accuse them of various acts, including bombing Wawa Military Cantonment in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, receiving weapons training, and fabricating improvised explosive devices. The DSS further alleged that they belonged to foreign terror groups, engaged in terrorism financing and kidnapping, and received training on war tactics from a terrorist organization in Mali.
The secret police claimed that they also stand accused of the kidnapping of a Customs officer and an Immigration officer, the latter of whom was later killed while in their custody.
The DSS also stated that the defendants collected ransoms running into millions of naira from victims’ families before their capture. Further charges include the unlawful mining of mineral resources without a valid license, generating millions of naira, and using the proceeds to procure large quantities of arms and ammunition, including improvised explosive devices. The DSS further alleged that the two men received training in terrorism and war tactics in Sudan and Mali and facilitated the same for their followers. They are also accused of concealing information on terror attacks in various locations in Niger State.
Following their plea, Justice Nwite ordered them to be remanded at the DSS facility in Abuja. The Ansaru group, a breakaway faction of Boko Haram, has been implicated in numerous high-profile attacks and kidnappings nationwide. The defendants were captured between May and July 2025 after intelligence-led operations, and the DSS alleged they masterminded various acts of terrorism.