The Renewed Hope Administration has once again demonstrated its unyielding resolve in the war against terror as Nigeria’s security forces achieved a historic breakthrough with the arrest of two top commanders of the extremist group, Ansaru. The Chairman of Renewed Hope United Kingdom, Amb J.K. Adebola Esq., MNIM; MCICN, praised the courage and professionalism of Nigeria’s security agencies, noting that the victory affirms President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to a safer and more secure nation.
The development, announced by Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga after a high-level security briefing by the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has been hailed by the United States Embassy as a “significant step forward in Nigeria’s fight against terrorism and extremism.” The captured terror masterminds, namely Mahmud Muhammad Usman (alias Abu Bara’a), self-styled Emir of Ansaru, and his deputy Mahmud al-Nigeri (alias Mallam Mamuda), were cornered in a “high-risk, intelligence-led counter-terrorism operation” executed between May and July 2025.
Usman, notorious for orchestrating a network of sleeper cells, kidnappings, and armed robberies that bankrolled Ansaru’s operations, was one of the most elusive terror figures on Nigeria’s radar. His deputy, al-Nigeri, commanded the deadly Mahmudawa cell spanning Niger, Kwara, and across the Benin Republic corridor.
Both men had been listed on Nigeria’s and the international community’s most-wanted terrorist list, and their arrest marks a devastating blow to Ansaru, a Boko Haram splinter faction infamous for the 2022 Kuje prison jailbreak and the Kaduna-Abuja train ambush.
Security analysts confirm the capture will disrupt Ansaru’s operational networks, restore confidence in Nigeria’s counter-terrorism drive, and reaffirm the Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope commitment to safeguarding lives and property.
The US Mission in Nigeria’s swift commendation affirms international recognition of Nigeria’s progress, signalling stronger cooperation between Abuja and Washington in dismantling extremist threats.
“This milestone proves that the Renewed Hope Administration will not relent until the last vestiges of terror are eliminated from our land. Our security agencies, under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, have shown exceptional courage and professionalism. Nigerians can be assured, we are winning this fight,” said Amb J.K. Adebola.
