The Presidency on Sunday alerted that the Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA), an affiliate of ISIS, has been discovered to be responsible for the attacks taking place in Benue and other states in the country.
According to a top Presidency source, security service organizations including the Department of State Service, DSS have in a report submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari said that they have identified an ISWA network operating within some North Central and South-South sections of Nigeria that is using foreign terrorists and recruiting young men fighting and killing innocent persons ostensibly to exacerbate tensions along the county’s ethnic, religious and regional fault lines.
According to the source, this discovery was was made following the arrest of several suspected attackers made up Fulani herdsmen, government-sponsored militias, militants and other miscreants in Benue Sate. Among those in custody were many who spoke none of the languages native to Nigeria but the French language.
“This is the first time that security officials have confirmed that the Islamic State in West Africa members are operating as a unit in Nigeria and the level of their penetration of the country,” the source said.
The source revealed that 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.
The Presidency source which wanted to remain unnamed, said “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 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. This helped to save Nigeria from the spate of major terrorist attacks witnessed elsewhere that were syndicated by ISIS worldwide.”
