Most Wanted Ansaru Leader Abu Baraa Arrested by Security Forces

Nigeria’s security services have detained Abu Baraa, the most wanted member of the Ansaru terrorist organization and the alleged architect of multiple high-profile attacks in the nation.
Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser, made the announcement on Saturday at a special press conference held at the National Counter-Terrorism Centre in Abuja.

Security officers had been pursuing Baraa since May till his eventual detention in July, according to Ribadu, who was accompanied by heads of intelligence and service.
He said the arrest was a significant step forward in the war on terror.

The NSA clarified that the increasing encroachment of the Ansaru organization in Nigeria made Baraa’s trial necessary.

The top leadership of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan, also known as ANSARU, Nigeria’s Al-Qaeda affiliate, was apprehended as a result of a high-risk, intelligence-led counterterrorism operation, he added.

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In January 2012, the group was first established in Kano through a public announcement. As a Boko Haram splinter group, it positioned itself as a “humane alternative.”

But soon after, its declared goal shifted to attacking Nigerian government facilities, civilian communities, and security personnel.

In order to demonstrate its operational and doctrinal affinities with international jihadist groups, the group prominently displayed the Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) setting sun logo.

“Over the years, Ansaru established itself in both urban sleeper cells and forest enclaves, which are found in a number of northern Nigerian cities and in forest-based enclaves, especially in the vicinity of Kainji National Park, which spans the states of Niger, Kwara, and the Benin Republic.”