US embassy praises Nigeria on Ansaru Terrorist Group Leaders’ arrest

Embassy of the United States in Nigeria, Monday, has commended the Federal Government and the country’s security forces for the arrest of two most wanted leaders of the terrorist group, Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan, otherwise known as Ansaru.

The National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, last weekend, confirmed the duo’s arrest at a press briefing in Abuja.

He said the two men were captured in a “high-risk, intelligence-led, counter-terrorism operation” conducted between May and July 2025.

Ribadu identified Mahmud Muhammad Usman, the self-styled Emir of Ansaru, as the coordinator of various terrorist sleeper cells across Nigeria and the mastermind of numerous high-profile kidnappings and armed robberies which the group uses to finance it’s operations.

Ribadu further informed that Usman’s deputy, Mahmud al-Nigeri, led the group’s “Mahmudawa” cell, which operates around the Kainji National Park area, a region straddling Niger and Kwara States, extending into the Benin Republic.

The US Embassy in Nigeria, in a post on its official X handle, on Monday, praised the arrests of the terrorist leaders, describing the operation as a big win for Nigeria’s quest to end terrorism.

Here is the text of the Embassy’s post: “We commend the Nigerian government and security forces on the successful arrest of wanted #Ansaru leaders, Mahmud Muhammad Usman (aka Abu Bara’a) and Mahmud al-Nigeri (aka Mallam Mamuda).

“This is a significant forward in Nigeria’s fight against terrorism and extremism.”