One of the two suspected commanders of the Ansaru terrorist group, Abubakar Abba, also known as Abu Bara’a, has asked the Federal High Court in Abuja for more time to decide whether to change his not-guilty plea in his ongoing terrorism trial.
Abba is standing trial before Justice Emeka Nwite alongside Mahmud Usman, also known as Isah Adam, on 32 terrorism-related charges filed by the Department of State Services, DSS.
The defendants, who are suspected Ansaru commanders allegedly linked to Al-Qaeda, were arrested alive by Nigerian security forces in 2025 after intelligence-led operations conducted between May and July.
The charges against them include terrorism, terrorism financing, kidnapping for ransom, illegal mining, funding terrorism, fabrication of improvised explosive devices and other related offences.
At the resumed proceedings on Tuesday, Abba informed the court that he wanted to review the not-guilty plea he earlier entered during arraignment.
Following the request, Justice Nwite briefly stood down the matter to allow the defendant consult with his lawyer, Husseina Tukur.
After conferring with counsel, Abba told the court that he had not yet made a final decision on whether to change his plea or maintain his earlier not-guilty plea.
Prosecution counsel, David Kaswe, opposed a further adjournment, arguing that the defendant had made a similar request at the previous sitting. He urged the court to proceed with the trial if Abba was still unable to make up his mind.
However, Justice Nwite held that since the issue was being formally raised on the record for the first time, the defendant should be given an opportunity to decide.
“As the issue was for the first time being officially raised on record, the defendant should be given the opportunity to make up his mind,” the judge held.
The court consequently adjourned the matter to July 20, 2026, for Abba to indicate whether he would change his plea or proceed with trial.
The DSS had arraigned Abba and Usman before the Federal High Court on September 11, 2025.
At the arraignment, Usman pleaded guilty to one count of illegal mining allegedly used to finance terrorism. Justice Nwite convicted him on that count and sentenced him to 15 years’ imprisonment.
Usman, however, pleaded not guilty to the remaining 31 counts, while Abba pleaded not guilty to all 32 counts.
The court had earlier ordered both defendants remanded in DSS custody pending the conclusion of trial.
The trial later suffered delay after a defence lawyer, Bala Dakum, complained that DSS officials denied him access to the defendants to enable him prepare their defence.
When proceedings resumed in March, the prosecution opened its case with the testimony of a DSS operative identified by the codename “Triple A.”
The witness told the court that the defendants allegedly confessed to receiving weapons training in Libya and maintaining links with terrorist groups operating across the Sahel and Maghreb regions.
According to the operative, the suspects admitted receiving training in the manufacture of improvised explosive devices from instructors from Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria while in Libya.
The witness said Usman was arrested after prolonged intelligence gathering allegedly identified him as the leader of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis Sudan, popularly known as Ansaru.
He further testified that Abba was arrested by DSS operatives at Ugwan Musa Bypass in Kaduna North Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The operative alleged that both defendants admitted being members of Ansaru, which he described as a breakaway faction of Boko Haram involved in terrorism, kidnapping, banditry, armed robbery and illegal mining across parts of Nigeria.
He also alleged that the suspects confessed to founding Ansaru in Jigawa State after several meetings in 2012.
The witness further claimed that the defendants confessed to kidnapping the in-law of former President Muhammadu Buhari, Alhaji Musa Umar Uba, as well as an immigration officer and a customs officer.
The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, had announced the arrest of the two suspects at a news conference in August 2025.
Ribadu said their capture followed a high-risk, intelligence-led, multi-agency operation and described the arrests as a major breakthrough in the fight against terrorism.
He said the suspects had long been on national and international terror watch lists and were among the most wanted Ansaru commanders.
Ansaru, an Al-Qaeda-affiliated group, has been linked to several high-profile attacks and kidnappings across Nigeria.
