Two senior commanders of the Ansaru terrorist group, Mahmud Usman and Abubakar Abba, have pleaded guilty to a 32-count charge bordering on terrorism, kidnapping for ransom, terrorism financing, illegal mining, the fabrication of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), and other related offences before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The defendants, also known as Mahmud Al-Nigeri and Abu Baraa, admitted to coordinating sleeper cells, planning terrorist attacks, and maintaining links with extremist groups operating across the Sahel and Maghreb regions.
The pair changed their plea from not guilty to guilty before Justice Emeka Nwite after previously indicating their intention to do so.
At their initial arraignment, Mahmud Usman had pleaded guilty to a single count of illegal mining to finance terrorism and procure arms. He was convicted and sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment on that count but initially denied the remaining 31 charges. Abubakar Abba had pleaded not guilty to all counts.
Following their fresh arraignment on Monday, both defendants admitted guilt to all charges.
Prosecuting counsel, David Kwase, urged the court to convict them immediately on all 32 counts pursuant to Section 274(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.
Counsel to the defendants, however, appealed to the court to consider that their decision to change their plea was intended to demonstrate genuine remorse and repentance.