Nigeria Disrupts Terror Groups With Arrest of Key Leaders

Nigeria’s security agencies have arrested the leaders of two militant groups listed among the country’s most wanted, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, announced on Saturday, 16th August 2025.

The men, identified as Mahmud Muhammad Usman, leader of Ansaru, an al-Qaida-linked faction, and Mahmud al-Nigeri, head of the lesser-known but fast-rising Mahmuda group, were captured in a coordinated operation that ran between May and July. Officials said valuable materials, including digital evidence, were recovered during the raids and are now undergoing forensic analysis.

“These two men have been on Nigeria’s most-wanted list for years. They jointly spearheaded multiple attacks on civilians, security forces, and critical infrastructure,” Ribadu said at a press briefing in Abuja. He added that the duo were also internationally wanted and maintained active links with terrorist groups in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.

Among attacks attributed to the arrested leaders are the 2013 raid on Niger’s uranium facility and the 2022 Kuje prison break, which freed dozens of Boko Haram fighters. The Mahmuda group, though relatively new, gained notoriety earlier this year after a series of violent attacks in north-central Nigeria.

Nigeria’s northern region has long been a hotbed of armed activity, hosting both religiously motivated insurgents, including Boko Haram, Ansaru, and ISWAP, and criminal gangs often referred to as “bandits.” Despite sustained military campaigns, these groups have persisted, sometimes overlapping in their methods of violence.

The arrests come just days after the United States approved a $346 million arms deal to strengthen Nigeria’s fight against insurgency and criminal networks. Ribadu described the development as “the most decisive blow against Ansaru since its inception,” saying the capture effectively dismantles the group’s central command.

The capture of Usman and al-Nigeri represents a major symbolic victory for Nigeria’s security forces, disrupting leadership structures of two groups with regional and international terrorist ties. In the short term, it is likely to weaken Ansaru’s operational capacity and stall Mahmuda’s rapid rise. However, militant networks in Nigeria have historically shown resilience, often regenerating under new leadership or merging with other factions. The ultimate impact will hinge on how effectively the state exploits the intelligence recovered, sustains pressure on remaining cells, and addresses the underlying grievances fueling recruitment into armed groups.