The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced two senior Ansaru terrorist commanders to life imprisonment after they pleaded guilty to multiple terrorism-related offences.

Justice Emeka Nwite convicted Abubakar Abba, also known as Abu Baraa, and Mahmud Usman, alias Mamuda, on a 32-count charge involving terrorism, terrorism financing, kidnapping for ransom, illegal mining and the manufacture of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

In addition to the life sentences, the court imposed 20-year prison terms on the remaining counts, with the sentences to run from the date of their arrest.

The Department of State Services (DSS) linked the convicts to several high-profile attacks, including the 2022 Kuje prison break, the attack on the Nigerian Army’s Wawa Cantonment, and a series of kidnappings carried out to fund terrorist operations.