US hails Nigeria over arrest of Ansaru terrorist kingpins

The United States has applauded Nigeria after security operatives tracked down and arrested two notorious leaders of the deadly Ansaru terrorist sect.

In a statement posted on Monday via its official X handle, the US Mission described the arrests of Mahmud Muhammad Usman (aka Abu Bara’a) and Mahmud al-Nigeri (aka Mallam Mamuda) as a “major step forward” in Nigeria’s long war against terrorism and violent extremism.

Ansaru, a breakaway faction of Boko Haram, has long been a menace, running criminal operations around Kanji National Park and unleashing violence through kidnappings and armed robberies to fund its jihadist campaign.

The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, confirmed on Sunday that the terrorists were captured in a “high-risk, intelligence-led, counter-terrorism operation” conducted between May and July 2025.

According to Ribadu, Usman who crowned himself ‘Emir of Ansaru’, coordinated sleeper cells across Nigeria, while his partner in crime, Al-Nigeri, was behind several high-profile abductions.

While hailing the arrests, the U.S. stressed that the move showed progress in Nigeria’s counter-terrorism efforts, but observers say the bigger test will be whether government can sustain the pressure on terror networks that continue to destabilize communities in the North.