The Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed January 15, 2026, for the commencement of the terrorism trial of two alleged leaders of the Ansaru sect, Mahmud Usman and Abubakar Abba.
The trial was initially billed to begin on Wednesday, but Justice Emeka Nwite adjourned the matter after defence counsel, B. I. Bakum, told the court he had not been served with the charges and proof of evidence from the Department of State Services (DSS), where the defendants are currently held.
Bakum also urged the court to order the transfer of his clients to a correctional facility, arguing that their current detention at the DSS facility limits access and preparation for trial.
However, DSS counsel, David Kaswe, an Assistant Director at the Federal Ministry of Justice, opposed the move, insisting the trial should proceed because prosecution witnesses were already present in court.
Kaswe argued that the DSS operates a formal protocol requiring written requests before counsel can access detainees, noting that the defence had yet to submit such letters.
He urged the court to compel Bakum to comply with DSS standards and copy the prosecution in all future correspondence.
Delivering a brief ruling, Justice Nwite held that a fair hearing demands that the defence be given adequate time to review the case file.
“Counsel must have adequate access to their clients and study the evidence before trial can begin,” the judge ruled, before shifting commencement to January 15, 2026.
He ordered the defence to write formally to the DSS to facilitate access and to copy the prosecution in all communications.
Usman and Abba are facing a 32-count charge bordering on terrorism, terrorism financing, kidnapping, weapons fabrication, illegal mining, and affiliation with foreign terror networks.
Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a, pleaded guilty to Count 10—an economic crime linked to illegal mining—but denied the remaining 31 counts. Abba pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Usman was sentenced in September to 15 years in prison for illegal mining and using the proceeds to acquire weapons for terrorism and kidnapping operations.
According to the DSS, the defendants committed multiple offences between 2015 and 2024, including:
Bombing the Wawa Military Cantonment in Niger State
Receiving weapons training in Sudan and Mali
Producing improvised explosive devices (IEDs)
Kidnapping security operatives
Financing terrorism using proceeds of illegal mining
Training Ansaru fighters and coordinating operations
Millions of naira allegedly generated from illegal mining were used to procure arms, ammunition and IED components, the prosecution alleges.
Both suspects were arrested in intelligence-led operations between May and July 2025.
Ansaru, a splinter faction of Boko Haram, has been linked to several high-profile attacks, including kidnappings of foreigners and assaults on military formations.
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