By MARK LONGYEN

The U.S. government has described Nigeria’s recent arrest of suspected terrorist leaders linked to the Ansaru terrorist group as a laudable achievement by the government.

This is contained in a statement posted on X by the U.S. Mission in Nigeria on Monday.

It said that the development was a significant step by Nigeria in its commendable war against terrorism and violent extremism.

“We commend the Nigerian Government and security forces on the successful arrest of wanted #Ansaru leaders, Mahmud Muhammad Usman (aka Abu Bara’a) and Mahmud al-Nigeri (aka Mallam Mamuda).

“This is a significant step forward in Nigeria’s fight against terrorism and extremism,” it wrote.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that on Aug. 16, Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser (NSA), announced the terrorist suspects’ arrest.

Ribadu disclosed that Mahmud Usman (also known as Abu Bara’a) and Mahmud al-Nigeri (aka Malam Mamuda), who were on Nigeria’s wanted list, were captured following a series of intelligence-led operations between May and July.

He said that Bara’a, the self-proclaimed Emir of Ansaru, coordinated terror sleeper cells across the country and masterminded kidnappings and robberies to finance the group’s operations.

The NSA linked the duo to several high-profile attacks, including the 2022 Kuje prison break in Abuja that freed dozens of Boko Haram inmates.

Ribadu further disclosed that the suspects were also implicated in the 2013 attack on a uranium facility in Niger Republic, and the kidnapping of French engineer Francis Collomp in Katsina.

He added that they were also involved in the 2019 abduction of Musa Uba, the Magajin Garin Daura, and the kidnapping of the Emir of Wawa in Niger state. (NAN)