Nigeria, Jan. 16 -- The terrorism trial of two alleged top leaders of Ansaru, an Al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group, stalled on Thursday at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The proceeding was cut short after the defence lawyer reported to the judge that he was denied access to the two defendants - Mahmud Usman and Abubakar Abba - in the custody of the State Security Service (SSS).

The two men, who were captured alive by Nigerian security forces in August 2025, face 32 terrorism-related charges linking them to illegal mining and terrorist attacks in Nigeria between 2013 and 2015.

They were subsequently arraigned in September 2025, when they pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The defence lawyer, Bala Dakum, told trial judge Emeka Nwite...