LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — The leaders of two militant groups on Nigeria ‘s most wanted list have been arrested in an operation involving multiple agencies, the West African country’s national security adviser said Saturday.

The two leaders were allegedly the heads of Ansaru, an al-Qaida -linked group, and Mahmuda, a relatively new and lesser-known militant group. Mahmuda gained national prominence after a string of attacks earlier this year in the country’s north-central region.

Nigeria’s northern region is home to numerous armed groups.

Officials said the arrests came in an operation conducted between May and July and that they recovered valuable materials including digital evidence that is undergoing forensic analysis and could lead to more arrests.

The arrested leaders are Mahmud Muhamm

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