Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has declared nine persons wanted over terrorism and violent extremism in the North East.
By Emma Ogbuehi
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has declared nine persons wanted over terrorism and violent extremism in the North East.
They are: Abu Khadijah, Abur Rahman, Dadi Gumba, Abu Yusuf, Musa Wa’a, Usman Kanin Shehu, Ibrahim Suyeka, Ba Sulhu, and Idris Taklakse.
The Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj-Gen Edward Buba, announced this during a briefing at the Defence Headquarters Abuja. He said the wanted persons are from the North East region.
The latest action comes as the DHQ earlier in the day, confirmed the emergence of a new terrorist group known as ‘Lukarawas’ in the North-western part of the country.
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General Buba, who made the disclosure, stated that the new terror group originated in the Republic of Niger after the recent coup, which disrupted military cooperation between Nigeria and Niger.
He explained that the terrorists began infiltrating northern areas of Sokoto and Kebbi States from the Niger Republic and Mali, particularly following the coup in Niger.
According to him, joint border operations with Nigerien security forces, previously in place before the coup, had kept the terrorists at bay.
He said, “The terrorists took advantage of the gaps in cooperation between both countries and exploited difficult terrains to make incursions into remote areas in some north-western states to spread their ideology.
“The terrorists were initially welcomed by locals who believed they had good intentions. However, the movement was not reported to the military and security agencies.”
The DHQ spokesperson assured that troops have sustained Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) efforts to degrade the terrorists.
He added that the group continued to exploit vast ungoverned areas to hide, evade troops, and harass locals but stated that troops were locating and eliminating the threat.
The Sokoto Police Command, had also confirmed the presence of the sect in about five local government areas of the state.