A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, has today, sentenced one of the two terrorist Ansaru leaders recently captured by the Department of State Services (DSS), Mahmud Muhammed Usman a.k.a Abu Bara’a, to 15 years for illegal mining. Bara’a, who hails from Okene Local Government Area of Kogi State, and Abubakar Abba aka Isah Adam or Mahmud Al-Nigeri, who hail from Daura, Katsina State, were arraigned by the DSS on a 32-count of terrorism and related offences.
Of the 32 counts charges, Bara’a, who is the first defendant, pleaded guilty to Count 10, which was on illegal mining.
Consequently, the presiding judge, Justice Emeka Nwite convicted him of the crime and sentenced him to 15 years in prison for count 10 and 32 charges.
The second alleged Ansaru Commander, Abubakar Abba, who was arraigned alongside the convict, however, denied taking part in the economic sabotage offence.
Usman and Abubakar Abba were put on trial on terrorism charges by the DSS but Usman pleaded guilty to count 10 in the 32 charges which bothered on economic crime.
While Abubakar Abba pleaded not guilty to the 32 count charges on terrorism offences, Usman denied only 31 counts.
At the arraignment proceedings, the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Mohammed Babadoko Abubakar, alleged in the charges that the two defendants committed the crime between 2015 and 2024.
The terrorist were also accused of bombing Wawa Military Cantonment in Borgu local government area of Niger State, receiving training in weapon handling and fabrication of improvised explosive devices.
The security agency alleged that they belonged to foreign terror groups, engaged terrorism financing, kidnapping and receiving training on war tactic from an international terrorist organization resident in Mali republic.
Similarly, the DSS accused added the two were also accused of kidnapping a Custom officer and another Immigration Officer who was killed while in their custody.
The Secret Police claimed that the accused persons collected ransom running into millions of naira from families of their victims before they they run into their waterloo.
Among the charges slammed by the DSS DSS against the two defendants is possession of proceeds of kidnapping in form of ransom and unlawful minerals mining were deployed to the procurement of huge arms and ammunitions including improvised explosive devices.
The DSS further alleged that the two terrorist kingpins received training on terrorism and war tactics in Sudan and Mali and also trained their foot soldiers on same.
In another charge, they were accused of concealing information on terror attacks on various locations in Niger State.
After denying some of the charges, Justice Nwite ordered the two to be remanded at the DSS facility in Abuja.
The judge fixed October for commencement of their trial.