On Thursday, the Federal High Court in Abuja found Mahmud Usman, a commander of the banned terrorist group Ansaru, guilty and sentenced him to 15 years in prison.
The presiding judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, gave the sentence after Usman admitted in court that he was involved in illegal mining activities. According to government lawyers, the money he made from mining was used to buy weapons for terrorism and kidnapping operations.
The judge also ordered that Usman should remain in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) while he continues to face 31 other serious charges filed by the Federal Government. The case will continue on October 21.
Usman is not the only one on trial. He is being prosecuted alongside another man named Abubakar Abba. Together, they are facing a total of 32 charges, all prepared by the DSS.
Prosecutors accused the two men of carrying out several terrorist acts in 2022. One of the major incidents was an attack on the Nigerian Army’s Wawa Cantonment in Kainji, New Bussa, Niger State. That attack led to many soldiers losing their lives.
They were also blamed for organizing the July 2022 attack on Kuje Prison, where more than 600 inmates escaped.
According to the official charges, both Usman and Abba were trained in handling weapons and in making improvised explosive devices (IEDs) at terrorist camps. They also reportedly received combat training in war tactics from another terrorist group based in Mali.
Their other alleged crimes are wide-ranging. They are accused of planning to attack a uranium facility in Niger, carrying out several kidnappings, including the 2013 abduction of French engineer Francis Collomp, and the 2019 kidnapping of Alhaji Musa Umar Uba, the Magajin Garin Daura. In addition, they were linked to a number of armed robberies and other violent acts.
In summary, Mahmud Usman has already been sentenced to 15 years for illegal mining, but he still has many more charges ahead of him, including terrorism, kidnapping, and armed robbery, which could result in even more punishment.
