DSS to appeal life sentence for Ansaru commanders

The Department of State Services, DSS, is set to appeal the life imprisonment handed to two convicted Ansaru terrorist commanders, insisting that the punishment does not reflect the gravity of their crimes, according to security analyst Zagazola Makama.

Makama, who disclosed the development in a post on X on Monday, said the DSS believes the life sentence imposed by the Federal High Court in Abuja is too lenient and intends to seek the maximum penalty.

Justice Emeka Nwite had on Monday sentenced Abubakar Abba, also known as Abu Bara’a, and Mahmud Usman, alias Isah Adam/Mahmud, to life imprisonment after they pleaded guilty to a 32-count terrorism charge filed against them by the DSS on behalf of the Federal Government.

The court sentenced the duo to life imprisonment on counts 30 and 31, while imposing 20-year jail terms on the remaining counts, to run from the date of their arrest.

The convicts were prosecuted for offences including terrorism, terrorism financing, kidnapping for ransom, illegal mining, fabrication of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and coordinating terrorist sleeper cells linked to extremist groups operating across the Sahel and Maghreb.

According to Makama, a senior DSS official said the agency was particularly concerned that the two men allegedly delayed changing their plea until after the rescue of pupils and teachers abducted in Oriire, Oyo State.

The official claimed the abductors had demanded the unconditional release of the two Ansaru commanders as a condition for freeing the victims and allegedly beheaded two teachers to pressure the government.

“The reason the terrorists beheaded the two Oriire teachers was to put pressure on government to release these two Ansaru commanders. It, therefore, wouldn’t be fair to see two men beheaded and their families are made to live with the losses without adequately bringing the culprits to book,” the official was quoted as saying.

The DSS, according to the report, believes the circumstances surrounding the Oriire abduction and the killing of the teachers warrant a stiffer punishment than life imprisonment and is preparing to challenge the judgment at the Court of Appeal.

The two men were arrested in separate DSS operations between May and July 2025. Before Monday’s judgment, Usman had earlier pleaded guilty to one count of illegal mining for funding terrorism and was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment.