Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Department of State Services has announced that it will appeal the life sentences imposed on two senior commanders of the Ansaru terrorist group, insisting that the punishment does not adequately reflect the gravity of their crimes and seeking the maximum penalty, including the death penalty, for the convicted terrorists. Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday, July 20, 2026, sentenced Mahmud Usman, also known as Abu Bara'a, Abbas or Mukhtar, the self-styled Emir of Ansaru, and Abubakar Abba, also known as Mahmud al-Nigeri or Malam Mamuda, to life imprisonment after they pleaded guilty to all 32 counts of terrorism-related charges brought against them by the Federal Government.
The charges against the two convicted terrorists included terrorism, terrorism financing, kidnapping for ransom, illegal mining, fabrication of improvised explosive devices, and other offences linked to terrorist operations. The court sentenced both men to life imprisonment on counts 30 and 31, while imposing additional 20-year prison terms on the remaining counts, with the sentences on the other counts to take effect from the date of their arrest.
However, a top official of the DSS, speaking after the judgment, told journalists that the security agency considered the life sentence as too light a punishment for the crimes allegedly committed by the Ansaru commanders. The official said the service found it curious that both convicts were on the verge of pleading guilty to the charges but changed their minds shortly after some persons believed to be members of the same Ansaru organisation kidnapped pupils and teachers in Oriire, Oyo State. "For the nearly 60 days the kidnappers held on to the pupils and teachers of Oriire, the Ansaru commanders in our custody changed. One of the top conditions the abductors gave was the unconditional release of these same Ansaru commanders in exchange for the Oriire kidnap victims," the official said.
The DSS official further disclosed that the defendants, who had earlier pleaded not guilty, later told the court they were undecided on the plea they intended to enter. "Justice Nwite even had to hand them an ultimatum to make up their minds on or before Monday's sitting. After the Oriire rescue, they came to court to plead guilty to all the charges," he added. According to the official, allowing the two terror commanders to walk away with life sentences would not serve the cause of justice for the two Oriire teachers beheaded by their abductors. "The reason the terrorists beheaded the two Oriire teachers was to put pressure on government to release these two Ansaru commanders. It, therefore, wouldn't be fair to see two men beheaded and their families made to live with the losses without adequately bringing the culprits to book," he declared.
The DSS said it will ask the Court of Appeal to set aside the life sentences, insisting the punishment does not adequately reflect the deaths of the two Oriire teachers whose captors, it says, sought the release of the convicted Ansaru commanders. The security agency believes that a stiffer sentence, including the death penalty, is warranted in the interest of justice. The case has drawn significant attention due to the connection between the convicted terrorists and the abduction of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, which occurred on May 15, 2026, when armed men attacked three schools in the area, abducting 39 pupils and several teachers. The victims were rescued on July 10, 2026, following a coordinated security operation, but two teachers lost their lives during the captivity.
The convicted Ansaru commanders were arrested in separate operations between May and July 2025 by Nigerian security forces. National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu had announced their arrest in August 2025. They were accused of masterminding the July 2022 jailbreak at Kuje prison, during which more than 600 inmates escaped, and allegedly planned the Niger uranium facility attack and multiple kidnappings. The DSS had initially arraigned the two senior commanders of the proscribed terrorist organisation on September 11, 2025, amid tight security.
The Ansaru terrorist group, an al-Qaeda-affiliated extremist organisation, is a breakaway faction of Boko Haram. The group has been responsible for numerous attacks and kidnappings in Nigeria, including the kidnapping of a French engineer, Francis Collomp, in 2013. The DSS's decision to appeal the life sentences reflects the agency's determination to ensure that those responsible for heinous crimes face the full weight of the law. The appeal will be heard by the Court of Appeal, where the DSS will argue that the life sentences are insufficient given the gravity of the offences committed by the Ansaru commanders.
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