Fulani herdsmen. File photo
Pat Stevens/
The Islamic State network in West Africa has been fingered in the recent killings in some parts of Nigeria, including the Benue massacre.
Intelligence officials believe elements of the Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA) operating within some sections of northern and southern Nigeria may be responsible for the recent killings.
This information is contained in an intelligence report presented to President Muhammadu Buhari by the Department of State Service.
According to a top government official who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the DSS told the President that the ISWA network is using foreign terrorists and recruiting young men to fight and kill innocent persons.
He said the aim of the terrorists is “to exacerbate tensions along the county’s ethnic, religious and regional fault lines.”
According to the source, the discovery was made following the arrest of several suspected attackers, including Fulani herdsmen, government-sponsored militias, militants and other miscreants in Benue State.
The source said some of the suspects in custody cannot speak any Nigerian language but fluent in French.
The source stated: “A good number of the Islamic State terrorists have been arrested not only in the Benue valley but significantly in several towns in Edo State, specifically in Akoko-Edo, Okpella and Benin as well as in Okene, in Kogi State.
“It is understood that the cell which has members in different parts of the country concentrates on recruiting young men to fight for the Islamic State in West Africa by unleashing the cold-blooded murder of innocent citizens.
“There was intelligence report that they had planned several attacks here, before and during Christmas and the New Year. Their bombing targets included fuel depots, foreign missions and police and military establishments.
“Their network is very wide. But so much was achieved by the DSS which had made a significant number of arrests in the last two months that helped to preempt those attacks”
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, confirmed that Buhari has been receiving a lot of reports on the killings in Benue and other states.
Shehu however denied knowledge of the content of any of the reports.
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