NHRC Calls for Swift Trials of Arrested Leaders of Ansaru Terrorist Group

By: Michael Mike

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has called on the Federal Government to swiftly put every machinery in place to ensure swift trials of the arrested leaders of the notorious terrorist group, Anssaru, ensuring that they are held to the highest form of accountability befitting their heinous crimes.

The call was made on Tuesday by the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Dr. Tony Ojukwu at the presentation of July 2025 Human Rights Dashboard in Abuja.

Ojukwu while lamenting the increase in killings of security personnel and auxiliary members of vigilante group, said there was urgent need to ensure that all needed apparatus are put in place to tackle insecurity, particularly terrorism in the country.

The National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu had at a press briefing over the weekend said two terrorists, Mahmud Muhammad Usman (aka Abu Bara’a/Abbas/Mukhtar) and Mahmud al-Nigeri (aka Mallam Mamuda), both leaders of Andaru and on the wanted list of Nigeria, the US, UK and UN were captured in an operation which was conducted between May and July 2025.

Ojukwu said: “From our observatory, we are gravely concerned by the resurgence and escalation of deadly violence in different parts of the country. In Sokoto, 15 men were killed in a reprisal attack by suspected members of Lakurawa. In Kebbi, a similarly tragic pattern emerged, with three police officers losing their lives in a failed abduction attempt.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the month of July represents the deadliest for vigilante groups in the country with a fatality of almost a hundred deaths. The role of vigilante in supporting our security and armed forces in the field of battle should not be lost on us. Their decimation portends danger for our collective security and the enjoyment of our liberties. These are not isolated incidents; they represent a failure of security, justice and accountability. We are seeing an increase in targeted killings of law enforcement agents; frequent kidnappings and killings by bandits; brazen acts of violence by cultist groups and widespread violations of the right to life, particularly in communities already vulnerable due to conflict and poverty.

“It is in this regard, that the National Human Rights Commission welcomes the arrests of the leaders of Ansaru, a deadly terrorist organisation which is responsible for gross human rights violations of Nigerians. We commend the Department of State Services, the Armed Forces and the Office of the National Security Adviser for this feat. There is much we can achieve in safeguarding our citizens and human rights if agencies collaborate and adopt human rights-based approaches. We call on the authorities to swiftly put every machinery in place to ensure swift trials of the terrorist leaders and ensure that they are held to the highest form of accountability befitting their heinous crimes.”

He added that: “As we salute the courage and gallantry of our intelligence and armed forces, we call on other sectors of our security and law enforcement to rise up to the responsibility of safeguarding the human rights of Nigerians currently facing attacks in Benue, Plateau, Niger, Zamfara, Sokoto and Borno states all of whom, based on our dashboard for July are facing dire security situations.”

Ojukwu asked security agencies to reaffirm their commitment to professionalism and human rights in their operations; government actors to address the root causes of these violations – poverty, impunity, and weak institutional responses.

He equally asked civil society and the media to continue raising awareness and putting pressure where needed; and all citizens, he called, to speak out and stand firm against violence, injustice, and indifference.

He disclosed that in the month of July, a total of 331,035 complaints were received by the commission across the nation.

He noted that: “The most prevalent issues this month relate to law enforcement and human dignity, freedom from discrimination, and economic, social, and cultural rights. These are not new issues, but their persistence underscores systemic problems we cannot normalize.”

He stressed that: “When dignity is undermined by those tasked with upholding the law, the social contract begins to erode. When people are denied equal treatment or suffer indignities due to who they are, we all suffer a loss in our collective humanity.”

NHRC Calls for Swift Trials of Arrested Leaders of Ansaru Terrorist Group