By SUMAILA OGBAJE

The National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, said on Saturday that security forces recorded a major breakthrough with the capture of two top leaders of the Ansaru terrorist group.

Ribadu told newsmen in Abuja that the intelligence-led operation conducted between May and July decapitated the leadership of the Al-Qaeda-linked group and dealt ?the most decisive blow against them.?

He said the operation was carried out in collaboration with the armed forces, intelligence agencies and other security stakeholders.

Ribadu added that the operation was launched against Ansaru enclaves in and around Kainji National Park, straddling Niger and Kwara, with links extending into Benin Republic.

He identified one of the suspects as Mahmud Muhammad Usman (aka Abu Bara?a/Abbas/Mukhtar), the self-styled ?Emir of Ansaru.?

Ribadu also identified the second suspect as Mahmud al-Nigeri (aka Malam Mamuda),Bara?s deputy and Chief of Staff.

He said both suspects had been on Nigeria?s most-wanted list for years.

?Abu Bara was described as the coordinator of terrorist sleeper cells across Nigeria and mastermind of several high-profile kidnappings and armed robberies used to fund terrorism.

?His deputy, Malam Mamuda, was said to have trained in Libya between 2013 and 2015 under foreign jihadist instructors from Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria, specialising in weapons handling and Improvised Explosive Device (IED) fabrication,? he said

The NSA said the two leaders jointly spearheaded multiple terrorist attacks, including the 2022 Kuje prison break and the attack on a Niger uranium facility.

Others, he said, included the 2013 abduction of French engineer, Francis Collomp, in Katsina, the 2019 kidnapping of Alhaji Musa Umar Uba (Magajin Garin Daura) and the abduction of the Emir of Wawa.

He added that they were also linked to Ansaru?s networks across Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.

According to him, the capture of Abu Bara and Mamuda marks a turning point.

? It has dismantled Ansaru?s central command structure and signals the beginning of the end to impunity for terrorist leaders in Nigeria,? Ribadu said.

He said security forces also recovered valuable materials and digital evidence during the operation which were now undergoing forensic analysis.

According to him, these are expected to generate further actionable intelligence against residual Ansaru cells and their foreign collaborators.

?This feat exemplifies Nigeria?s advancing counter-terrorism capabilities.

?It followed months of deep surveillance, human intelligence and technical tracking, demonstrating enhanced sophistication and seamless inter-agency synergy,? he added.

The NSA commended President Bola Tinubu for providing strategic guidance as well as the armed forces, intelligence agencies and security services for their doggedness in achieving the success.

He reassured Nigerians that the government would sustain the momentum, stressing that the fight against terrorism was far from over.

?Nigeria will continue to pursue extremists with precision, resolve and unwavering determination,? he added.

He also called on citizens to remain vigilant and provide timely information to security agencies, noting that ?national security is a shared responsibility.?

In his remarks, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, commended the military and other security forces for the collaborative efforts.

He also urged the media to continue to deny the terrorists the opportunity to use the media to propagate their evil agenda.

?It is incumbent on all of us to ensure that we work collaboratively together so that Nigeria can be safe again,? he said. (NAN)

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