A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Wednesday ruled that the trial of two leaders of the Ansaru terrorist group, Mahmud Usman and Abubakar Abba, captured by the Department of State Services (DSS) will begin on January 15, 2026.
The trial, which was ingitislly slated to begin on Wednesday, was put off by the
trial judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, following pleas by counsel to the accused persons for time to enable him be served with the charges, and to study the charges’ proof of evidence.
At Wednesday’s proceedings, lawyer to the accused persons, B. I Bakum, told the court that the charge and proof of evidence were still with the DSS where the terror suspects were being detained on the orders of the court.
The lawyer prayed the court that the two defendants be moved to a correctional centre to enable easy access and ensure prompt and hitch-free trial.
However, counsel to the DSS, David Kaswe, an Assistant Director in the Federal Ministry of Justice, opposed the defendants’ lawyer’s prayer.
Kasawe prayed the court to begin the trial as scheduled since, according to him, the witnesses were in court.
He said that protocol in the DSS required the defendant’s lawyer to write to the agency seeking permission to see his clients and copy him adding that, heretofore, the lawyer had failed to for so.
Kaswe pleaded with the Judge to order the defendants lawyer to always respect the protocol of the DSS by writing formally for permission to visit the defendants and also copy him so that he would be of assistance.
Justice Nwite in a brief ruling said he would, in the interest of fair hearing, consider the submission of the defendants’ lawyer and move the trial a future date.
In shiftting the trial to January 15, 2026, Justice Nwite ordered the defendants lawyer to always write DSS for permission to visit his clients and copy the prosecutor.
Usman and Abubakar Abba are being prosecuted for terrorism by the DSS. However, Usman has pleaded guilty to Count 10 in the 32-count charge, which bordered on economic crime.
While Abubakar Abba pleaded not guilty to the 32-count charge on terrorism offences, Usman denied the remaining 31 counts.
Usman was on September 11, sentenced to 15 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to one count in the charge against him.
He admitted before the court that he engaged in illegal mining activities and used the proceeds to acquire arms that aided his terrorism and kidnapping activities.
At the arraignment, the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Mohammed Babadoko Abubakar, alleged in the charges that the two defendants committed the crimes between 2015 and 2024.
Among others, they were accused of bombing Wawa Military Cantonment in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, receiving training in weapon handling, and fabricating improvised explosive devices.
The DSS alleged that they belonged to foreign terror groups, engaged in terrorism financing and kidnapping, and received training on war tactics from a terrorist organization in Mali.
In another charge, the DSS accused them of kidnapping a Customs officer and another Immigration officer, who was later killed while in their custody.
The secret police claimed that the accused persons collected ransoms running into millions of naira from families of their victims before their capture by the DSS.
They were accused of engaging in the unlawful mining of mineral resources without a valid license, from which they also made millions of naira.
One of the charges by the DSS against the two defendants is that the huge sums made from kidnapping ransoms and unlawful mineral mining were deployed to the procurement of large quantities of arms and ammunition, including improvised explosive devices.
The DSS further alleged that the two men received training on terrorism and war tactics in Sudan and Mali and also facilitated the same for their followers.
In another charge, they were accused of concealing information on terror attacks on various locations in Niger State.
Following their denial of the charges, Justice Emeka Nwite had ordered them to be remanded at the DSS facility in Abuja.
Ansaru, a breakaway faction of the Boko Haram terrorist group, was linked to several high-profile attacks and kidnappings across the country.
Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a, is answering to a 32-count charge the DSS preferred against him and his alleged deputy, Abubakar Abba, popularly called Mahmud Al-Nigeri or Isah Adam/Mallam Mamuda.
DSS alleged that the defendants, who were captured between May and July 2025 after intelligence-led operations by security agencies, masterminded various acts of terrorism.