The United Kingdom Ambassador to Nigeria Richard Montgomery as well as the US Mission in Nigeria have commended Nigerian security forces over the arrest of two leaders linked to the Ansaru terrorist group.
Mr Montgomery also commended the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, over the successful coordination of the operation.
The envoy stated this in a post while quoting a tweet from the handle of presidential media aide Bayo Onanuga, where he announced the arrest.
Replying to the tweet on Monday, the envoy described the arrest as an “extraordinary and significant success”.
“An extraordinary & very significant success. A major step forward in the fight against terrorism. Congratulations to the security agencies & officers involved under the leadership of NSA Ribadu,” he wrote.
The US Mission in Nigeria, also quoting Mr Onanuga’s tweet, posted: “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 forward in Nigeria’s fight against terrorism and extremism.”
Recall that on August 16, Mr Ribadu announced the terrorist suspects’ arrest.
The NSA 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.
Mr Ribadu further disclosed that the suspects were also implicated in the 2013 attack on a uranium facility in the Republic of Niger 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.