Terror groups have begun a
recruitment drive in the South-West with the aim of establishing cells in the
zone, Saturday PUNCH’s investigations have shown.
The recruitment drive by the Boko
Haram and its breakaway faction, Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis-Sudan,
it was gathered, was a prelude to attacks they were planning to launch in the
zone.
The idea is to establish cells within
the South-West to coordinate attacks within the zone by identifying
fundamentalists in the area.
A security source, who disclosed
this, said the plan to move to the South-West, particularly Lagos, was hinged
on the economic importance of the zone.
Investigations showed that the groups
reasoned that attacks on the South-West would not only affect the country’s
economy, but could also precipitate ethnic clashes across the country.
It was learnt that major towns the
groups planned to attack included Lagos, Abeokuta, Ibadan and Osogbo.
Investigations showed that the
planned attacks would include planting of bombs at public buildings, on roads
and outright suicide bombings.
Besides Northerners living in the
South-West, the groups, it was gathered, were also zeroing in on people from
the zone as their potential members.
A highly placed security source told
one of our correspondents that the terror organisations had hitherto found it
difficult to penetrate South-West.
He said that they were targeting
people from the zone with the hope that such people would assist them in
establishing cells in the area. The security source told one of our
correspondents that, “There is no doubt terror groups have their eyes on the
South-West. Their plan is to spread their activities to the zone, which has a
high Muslim population.
“People they are planning to recruit
include Northerners living in the South-West as well as Yoruba that have the
same religious belief with them. It is part of their plan to spread Jihad to
Africa.”
It was gathered that the attacks were
part of measures by the groups to protest Nigeria’s intervention in the Malian
crisis.
The breakaway faction of Boko Haram,
ANSARUL, had on January 19, 2013 claimed responsibility for an attack on Nigerian
soldiers going to Mali.
The soldiers were attacked near
Okenne, Kogi State.
In a terse statement posted by an
online publication, Dessert Herald, on January 20, a leader of JAMBS, Abu
Usamatal Ansary, warned Nigeria and other Africans to be ready for “more
difficulties” as they embarked on restoring peace to Mali.
The statement had read, “We, members
of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis-Sudan, are gladly informing the
general public, especially those in black Africa, that with the aid and
guidance of Allah, we, on January 19, 2013 at Itape, Ekehi Local Government
Area of Kogi State, successfully executed our first attempt in attacking the
Nigerian troops that were aiming to demolish the Islamic Empire of Mali.
“We are equipped and waiting for any
slightest attempt of Nigerian Army moving towards the Islamic Empire of Mali.
And we are warning African countries to stop helping Western countries in
fighting against Islam and Muslims; if not, we are sternly assuring them,
particularly the Nigerian government, to be prepared and be ready to face
difficulties from JAMBS anywhere and anytime. May Allah help us and grant our
wishes.”
On Thursday, an operative of the
State Security Service told one of our correspondents that the service was
aware of the present move by the terror networks to penetrate the South-West.
The source said that the SSS and
other security operatives had anticipated the high possibility of those behind
the acts of terror to move beyond the northern parts of the country.
It was stated that a consciousness of
that fact played a role in the recent bursting of a terror cell being sponsored
by Iranians.
But another security source said
there was a growing discomfort among security personnel that the arrangement
put in place by the police authorities favoured the move to penetrate other
parts of the country.
It was stated that the collapse of
road blocks across the country in this era of terror was a security
miscalculation as the decision would encourage the movement of arms and
ammunition and other weapons from one part of the country to the other.
The security source stated that those
behind the acts of terror could have easily taken advantage of the loose
security situation in the South-West to launch similar attacks in the zone from
the Sabo settlements being inhabited chiefly by northern Muslims.
Top police personalities confirmed
that police authorities were aware of the plot.
However, the Force Deputy Force
Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, was evasive as he refused to comment on
what he described as a sensitive security issue.
Tags
Politics
Shame on all the security forces in Nigeria. From top to bottom lacked the intelligence required for their jobs. Some of us that lives in United States of America have genuine interest to return and help with this Bill Haram mess but the greedy corrupt top men will like to occupy every thing. The security problem in Nigeria began the very day GSM Technology started. What we need is CDMA so that every phone is individually registered and traceable. With GSM, is like you are chasing the bad guys in the thin air.
ReplyDeleteConcerned Nigerian,
USA.
I wonder why this individuals like killing . God we need you like never
ReplyDelete