Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has declared nine suspected members of Lakurawas terrorist group wanted.
Gatekeepers News reports that the names of the suspects were given to be Abu Khadijah, Abdurrahman, Dadi Gumba a.k.a Abu Muhammed, Usman Shehu, Abu Yusuf, Musa Wa’a, Ibrahim Suyeka, Ba Sulhu and Idris Taklakse.
Director of Defence Media Operations, Edward Buba made the announcement while addressing the press in Abuja on Thursday.
Buba noted that the new terror group emerged from Niger Republic following the coup, which disrupted military cooperation between Nigeria and the country.
He said the terrorists began infiltrating northern parts of Sokoto and Kebbi states from Niger Republic and Mali, adding that before the coup, joint border operations with Nigerien security forces kept the terrorists away.
The director said the group continues to use the vast under-governed areas to evade troops and harass local populations.
He said, “The terrorists took advantage of the gaps in cooperation between both countries and exploited the difficult terrains to make incursions in remote areas in some North Western states to spread their ideology.”
Buba noted that the group was initially welcomed by locals who thought they had good intentions.
The director said that the locals did not inform military and security agencies of the terrorists’ movements.
He further assured Nigerians that troops have sustained intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) efforts to weaken the terrorists.
Buba said the troops are “actively locating the terrorists to neutralise their threats”.
