Nigeria arrests top leaders of notorious terrorist group

Nigerian officials said on Saturday they had arrested the alleged leaders of a terrorist group accused of several high-profile attacks including a 2022 brazen jailbreak in the capital Abuja that temporarily freed hundreds of inmates.

Nigeria's National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, told journalists that Mahmud Muhammad Usman and Mahmud al-Nigeri had been captured during a "targeted operation" between May and July.

He said they were the leaders of Ansaru terrorist group.

President Bola Tinubu's spokesman Bayo Onanuga described the capture in a social media post as a "significant breakthrough in the war against terrorism."

'Have been on most-wanted list for years'

The group was also accused of blowing up rail tracks and raiding a train travelling from the capital Abuja to the northwestern city of Kaduna also in 2022. Eight people were killed and dozens more kidnapped and held for months.

They "have been on Nigeria's most-wanted list for years" and were also on international wanted lists, Ribadu said.

"They jointly spearheaded multiple attacks on civilians, security forces, and critical infrastructure," he added.

In July 2022, insurgents used guns and explosives to blast their way into a prison on the outskirts of Abuja, freeing dozens of inmates. Ansaru subsequently claimed responsibility.

Classified as terrorist organisation

The arrests mark a breakthrough in the West African nation's decade-and-half long battle against insurgents in the northeast – and, more recently, against criminal gangs behind kidnappings for ransom in central and northwestern regions.

Ribadu said the two had been involved in several high-profile kidnappings in the regions.