One of the two suspected commanders of the Ansaru terrorist group Nigerian security forces captured alive last year has asked the Federal High Court in Abuja for more time to consider changing his not-guilty plea that he previously entered in his their ongoing terrorism trial.
The defendant, Abubakar Abba, on Tuesday, got Judge Emeka Nwite to adjourn proceedings until 20 July to make a final decision on his plea.
Mr Abba, also known as Abu Bara’a, is standing trial alongside Mahmud Usman, also known as Isah Adam. Co-defendant
The defendants, globally wanted suspected terrorists linked to al-Qaeda, were captured alive by Nigerian security forces in August 2025 and face 32 terrorism-related charges linking them to illegal mining and terrorist attacks in Nigeria between 2013 and 2015.
One of them, Mr Usman, pleaded guilty to one of the 32 counts, prompting the judge to sentence him to 15 years’ imprisonment.
For his part, Mr Abba pleaded not guilty to all 32 counts.
The SSS said it arrested the defendants in separate operations between May and July 2025.
Shortly after the hearing began on Thursday, Mr Abba informed the court that he wanted to review the not-guilty plea he entered at his arraignment, prompting Judge Nwite to briefly stand down the proceedings to allow him confer with his lawyer, Husseina Tukur.
After the consultation, Mr Abba told the court that he had yet to decide whether to change his plea or retain the not-guilty plea.
The prosecution lawyer, David Kaswe, opposed another adjournment. He argued that the defendant had made a similar request at the previous sitting and urged the court to proceed with the trial if he remained unable to make up his mind.
In his ruling, Judge Nwite observed that the application had not previously been made on record.
“As the issue was for the first time being officially raised on record, the defendant should be given the opportunity to make up his mind,” the judge said.
The judge then adjourned the case until 20 July for Mr Abba to indicate whether he would change his plea or for the trial to continue.
Backstory
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the SSS arraigned the two suspected Ansaru leaders before the Federal High Court in Abuja on 11 September 2025.
They face 32 charges of terrorism, terrorism financing, kidnapping for ransom, illegal mining, funding terrorism, fabricating improvised explosive devices and other related offences.
The agency also alleged that they coordinated sleeper cells, orchestrated attacks and maintained links with Al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist groups operating across the Sahel and Maghreb regions.
At the arraignment, Mr Usman pleaded guilty to one count of illegal mining allegedly used to finance terrorism. Judge Nwite convicted him and sentenced him to 15 years’ imprisonment on that count, but he pleaded not guilty to the remaining 31 counts.
Mr Abba however pleaded not guilty to all 32 counts, after which the court ordered both defendants remanded in SSS custody pending the conclusion of the trial.
The trial later stalled after defence lawyer Bala Dakum complained that SSS officials denied him access to the defendants to prepare their defence.
When proceedings resumed in March, the prosecution opened its case with testimony from an SSS operative, identified by a codename, “Triple A.”
Triple A told the court that the defendants confessed to receiving weapons training in Libya and maintained links with terrorist groups operating across the Sahel and Maghreb regions.
Triple A said the confessions were obtained in a conducive atmosphere.
According to him, the suspects admitted receiving training in the manufacture of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) from instructors from Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria while in Libya.
He said the first defendant, Mr Usman, was arrested after prolonged intelligence gathering that identified him as the leader of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis Sudan (Ansaru).
He said Mr Abba, was arrested by SSS operatives at Ugwan Musa Bypass, Kaduna North Local Government Area, Kaduna State.
He said both defendants admitted being members of Ansaru.
He described the group as a breakaway faction of Boko Haram that was allegedly involved in terrorism, kidnapping, banditry, armed robbery and illegal mining across the North-West, North-Central, South-West and parts of the southern region, including Edo and Delta states.
He added that the suspects confessed to founding Ansaru in Jigawa State after holding several meetings in 2012.
He added that they further confessed to kidnapping the in-law of former President Muhammadu Buhari, Alhaji Musa Umar Uba, as well as an immigration officer and a customs officer.
The witness said the second defendant, Abubakar Abba, gave details of how he became involved with the group.
“He confessed to me and my team that he joined Boko Haram in 2013 in Daura, Katsina State through one Lawan.”
READ ALSO: Suspected Ansaru commanders confessed to receiving weapons training in Libya, SSS operative tells court
Arrest
The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, annoinced the arrest of the defendants at a news conference in mid-August 2025.
Mr Ribadu said their capture followed a high-risk, intelligence-led, multi-agency operation conducted between May and July 2025.
He described the arrests as a major breakthrough, saying they marked the beginning of the end of impunity for terrorist leaders in Nigeria. He added that the men had long been on both national and international terror watch lists.
The two were identified as among the most wanted Ansaru commanders.
Ansaru, an Al-Qaeda-affiliated group, has been linked to numerous high-profile attacks and kidnappings across the country.
