Court Fixes January 15 as Trial Date for Suspected Ansaru Commanders

The terrorism trial of two suspected Ansaru sect leaders, Mahmud Usman and Abubakar Abba, will begin on January 15, 2026, according to the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Judge Emeka Nwite postponed the trial, which was originally scheduled to start on Wednesday, after defense attorney B. I. Bakum informed the court that he had not received the accusations and supporting documentation from the Department of State Services (DSS), where the defendants are presently detained.

Additionally, Bakum said that his clients’ current incarceration at the DSS facility restricts their access and trial preparation, so he asked the court to compel their transfer to a penitentiary facility.

David Kaswe, an Assistant Director at the Federal Ministry of Justice and DSS attorney, disagreed with the action, arguing that the trial should go forward since prosecution witnesses were already in court.

Noting that the defense had not yet submitted such letters, Kaswe contended that the DSS follows an established system requiring written requests before counsel may access detainees.

He asked the court to order Bakum to follow DSS guidelines and include the prosecution in all future correspondence.

In a succinct decision, Justice Nwite ruled that the defense must be allowed enough time to examine the case file in order for the hearing to be fair.

The judge decided that “counsel must have adequate access to their clients and study the evidence before trial can begin” before rescheduling the start date to January 15, 2026.

In order to facilitate access, he directed the defense to write formally to the DSS and to include the prosecution in all correspondence.

Usman and Abba are charged with 32 counts that include terrorism, financing of terrorism, kidnapping, manufacturing of weapons, illegal mining, and connection to overseas terror networks.

Usman, whose real name is Abu Bara’a, admitted guilt to Count 10, an economic felony associated with illicit mining, but disputed the other 31 counts. To every charge, Abba entered a not guilty plea.

Usman was given a 15-year prison sentence in September for engaging in illicit mining and using the money he made to purchase weapons for kidnapping and terrorism.

The defendants committed several offenses between 2015 and 2024, according to the DSS, including:

bombing Niger State’s Wawa Military Camp

Training in firearms in Sudan and Mali

Making homemade explosives (IEDs)

Security personnel being abducted

financing terrorism using money obtained through illicit mining

Ansaru fighter training and operations coordination

The prosecution claims that millions of naira obtained through illicit mining were utilized to purchase weapons, ammunition, and IED components.

Between May and July of 2025, both suspects were apprehended through intelligence-led operations.

Ansaru, a Boko Haram offshoot group, has been connected to a number of high-profile incidents, such as assaults on military units and kidnappings of foreigners.