State Security Service (SSS) has raised the alarm that it has uncovered another deadly Islamic group with similarities to the Boko Haram in Adavi local government area of Niger State. Members of the Islamic sect, known as ‘Albani’, are said to be within the age bracket of 13 and 15 and “worship with their shoes, a practice which is a negation of Islamic religion.” A source at the directorate told journalists in Lokoja at the weekend that the secret service had put them under surveillance and would soon move against them. The SSS explained that it raised the alarm for the residents of the state to be conscious of strange faces and report any suspected group to the relevant security agencies in their area to forestall danger. The security service also said that members of the Boko-Haram had infiltrated the state and the two neighbouring states of Niger and Nasarawa, following the matching order given by the Presidency to the Nigerian Army and other security agencies to flush them out of their hideouts in Borno and Bauchi states. The source added that the directorate had observed that the group “is no longer an Islamic sect but a guerrilla army who hit their target and take – off.” He said that the sect had already spread to 12 states in the North with over 5,000 population. He, however, urged the residents of the state not to panic as the directorate had mapped out strategies to apprehend them.
The source also said the SSS had security reports of how the dreaded militants were planning to blow-off the Murtala Bridge at Jamata on Lokoja- Abuja road, the only link between the Federal Capital Territory and the South. He disclosed that the sect was also planning to bomb Itobe Bridge at Ajaokuta, a gateway to the East. According to him, the directorate and other security agencies had deployed men to strategic locations, including the two bridges for security surveillance, stressing that the bombthreat could not be taken for granted in view of the recent happenings in the country. The directorate noted that members of the sect would settle in some villages in Kogi, Okene and Adavi local governments before re-grouping for their nefarious activities.
Meanwhile, the sect at the weekend again killed 10 persons in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, including two brothers and a local government chairman in a series of attacks, including a bomb blast at a police station. Caretaker Chairman of Ijere Local government, Alhaji Mustapha Baale, was yesterday shot dead by the sect. He was killed around 3.30pm at old Maiduguri Road within his local government area on his way home. Baale, who was a three-time chairman of the council, was reappointed less than three weeks ago by Governor Kashim Shetima. He was also a member of the sixth House of Assembly which ended its tenure last month. He contested for a House of Representatives seat but lost.
The sect, few hours after the killing of Baale, also struck at Wulari police station Mammy market where they reportedly opened fire on the people drinking at the market with an accompanied bomb explosion, which killed eight and injured thirteen others. On Saturday, the sect had killed two brothers Isa Umar and Apagu Umar at noon around Bulabulin Nganaram. Also on Saturday, a father of ten, whose name could not be obtained, was killed while a soldier was injured Head of the Military Task Force in Maiduguri, Maj. Gen. Jack Nwachukwu Nwaogbo, confirmed that four people were killed by the Boko Haram gunmen on Saturday. In another development, police commands across the nation have taken delivery of bullet-proof vehicles from the Force Headquarters, Abuja, to assist in curtailing the terrorist activities of the Boko Haram sect and beef up security in the country. The bullet-proof vehicles, according to the Niger State Police Commissioner, Mr. Michael Zoukomor, will assist the police in tackling the menace of the group. He spoke while inspecting five state-of-the-art armoured vehicles during the passing out parade of 120 men of the command after a one-month capacity training in Minna at the weekend. He said: “Due to terrorist activities, the Inspector- General of Police, Hafiz Ringim; has sent bulletproof vehicles to state commands and we in Niger State have taken delivery of five of them to assist the police carry out their duty effectively and we are still expecting more.
“The Federal Government is concerned about the safety of lives of policemen because they are human beings. This is because, if the police are attacked, the people are attacked and when the people are attacked, it can lead to a breakdown of law and order.” The police commissioner added that as part of effort to discharge their duties efficiently, 120 men were trained to build their mental and physical capacity, stressing that the training programme would be done every four months for men of the command.
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