The recent arrest of two notorious Ansaru terrorist leaders, Mahmud Muhammad Usman and Mahmud al-Nigeri, by Nigerian security operatives during a joint counter-terrorism operation has shown that the terrorists can be tamed. It has equally demonstrated that with team work and adequate planning, the war against terrorism can be won within a stipulated timeframe. It is also a major boost to the morale of our troops. We salute the troops for their gallantry and major victory.
According to the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, who disclosed the arrest of the dreaded terrorists and leaders of the Ansaru (Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan) terrorist group, the duo who have been on the watch list of the security agencies, were arrested in an intelligence-led operation conducted between May and July 2025. The operation was carried out in collaboration with the military, intelligence agencies and other security stakeholders, targeting Ansaru enclaves in Nigeria and Benin Republic.
The arrest can be regarded as a major breakthrough in the ongoing counter-terrorism campaign, which has decapitated the leadership of the AI-Qaeda-linked group and dealt the most decisive blow against them. The United States government, the British authorities and other groups have commended the federal government and the security agencies for the arrest of the wanted leaders of the Ansaru terrorist organization.
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The terror kingpins were responsible for the 2022 Kuje prison break, the attack on the Niger uranium facility, the 2013 abduction of French engineer, Francis Collomp in Katsina and the May 1, 2019 kidnap of Alhaji Musa Umar Uba, the Magajin Garin Daura. They also abducted the Emir of Wawa and had active links with terrorists groups in the Maghreb, especially in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.
Following this most significant victory in the war against terrorism, President Bola Tinubu has lauded Nigeria’s current momentum against the general insecurity across the country. He also underlined his administration’s commitment to addressing the root causes of insecurity through strengthening government security system and the ongoing economic reforms. According to the President, “Nigeria’s brave armed forces can win any number of battles, but we do justice to their heroism only when we, as government, are courageous in tackling not just terror, but also the underlying causes.”
We commend the military and other security agencies for the arrest of the two terrorist kingpins. Their arrest has shown that with cooperation, intelligence gathering and sharing, the security agencies can really defeat the terrorists. It has also shown that the terrorists are not invincible and that the war against terrorism is not insurmountable or interminable. Let them use similar tactics to arrest other terrorists still at large.
Therefore, the $346million US/Nigeria arms deal will boost the ongoing efforts against terrorism, kidnapping, banditry and criminalities across the country. The US State Department had recently approved the potential sale of munitions, precision bombs and rockets to Nigeria for an estimated cost of $346million (about N532billion).
Similarly, the recent federal government’s vow to sustain the current onslaught against the terrorists, bandits and kidnappers until they are completely defeated is highly welcome. Mallam Ribadu stated this in Abuja while handing over 128 victims rescued from kidnappers in Kaura Namoda Local Government Area of Zamfara State. “There will be no respite in our operations. There will be no safe haven for those who terrorise our citizens. We will hunt, find and bring them to justice,” the NSA stated.
We urge the federal government and the security to do everything humanly possible to defeat the terrorists, bandits and kidnappers across the country. They must hunt them and bring them to justice. The government should swiftly prosecute the recent arrested leaders of Ansaru terrorist group and bring them to justice.
Nevertheless, those who perpetrated heinous criminality as theirs must be diligently prosecuted and given adequate punishment for their heinous crimes. They must not escape justice. It is by punishing evil that others wishing to toe the evil path can retrace their steps. On the other hand, let the government begin the trial of other arrested terrorists and their sponsors.
It is by doing so that the government will demonstrate that the war against terrorism is still on course. Let the government secure the prisons and other detention cells habouring the arrested terrorists so that they will not escape as was hitherto the case. The security agencies should be wary of saboteurs and fifth columnists in the ongoing war against terrorism.
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