DSS Alleges Ansaru Suspects Trained in Libya
A Department of State Services (DSS) operative told the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday that two suspected commanders of the terror group Ansaru received weapons and explosives training in Libya, shedding new light on the international dimension of their alleged activities.
Identified only as ABC for security reasons, the DSS operative testified before Justice Emeka Nwite while being led in evidence by prosecution counsel David Kaswe.
Testifying as the first prosecution witness, ABC said the defendants, Mahmud Usman and Abubakar Abba, admitted to training under foreign instructors in Libya.
“The defendants admitted that foreign instructors in Libya trained them on how to handle weapons and manufacture improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The instructors were from Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria,” the witness said.
According to ABC, Usman was arrested following intelligence linking him to Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis Sudan (Ansaru), while Abba was apprehended by DSS operatives in Kaduna North Local Government Area of Kaduna State. Both men face terrorism-related charges.
The operative further testified that the suspects acknowledged membership in Ansaru, described as a breakaway faction of Boko Haram allegedly involved in terrorism, kidnapping, armed robbery, banditry, and illegal mining. He said the group was established in Jigawa State following meetings in 2012.
Abba reportedly confessed to participating in a 2020 attack on a Nigerian Army formation in Wawa, resulting in multiple military casualties, as well as the kidnapping of Alhaji Musa Umar Uba, an in-law of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, alongside an immigration officer and customs personnel. He also allegedly swore allegiance to Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), which the witness claimed supplied arms and ammunition to Ansaru.
During the proceedings, defense counsel Bala Dakum opposed the admissibility of the defendants’ confessional statements. The prosecution, however, argued that the confessions were obtained voluntarily in the presence of a Legal Aid Council lawyer, in line with the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.
Justice Nwite ruled that a “trial within a trial” will determine whether the confessional statements can be admitted as evidence. The case was adjourned to April 13 for the hearing of this preliminary matter.
