Boko Haram, ISWAP Set Up New Hideouts in Borno

Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have reportedly established new hideouts in the Tuba settlement near a Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) facility in Jere Local Government Area of Borno State.

The development has raised fresh security concerns as the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to arrest and prosecute terrorists following claims by Islamic cleric Ahmad Gumi that authorities know the identities and locations of insurgents across the country.

Local sources and farmers in Jere said about 200 motorcycles were sighted around a fortified camp believed to be operated by the terrorists in the northern part of Borno.

The insurgents are reportedly targeting the NNPCL exploration site and nearby communities including Dusuman, Ngom, Jabarman, Gongulong Lawanti, Koshebe and areas around Muna Garage, about 20 kilometres east of Maiduguri.

Other areas considered vulnerable include Madinatu, the Maiduguri cattle market and travellers along the Maiduguri-Monguno and Mafa roads.

Reports indicate that the insurgents often deploy small attack units on motorcycles from their camps towards Ngom community along the Maiduguri-Dikwa road, moving through the Maiduguri-Mafa axis before reaching Konduga Local Government Area near the Sambisa Forest, a known insurgent stronghold in the North-East.

A 65-year-old local hunter, Konto Aliyu, warned that the presence of the terrorists poses a serious threat to residents in the area. He urged the Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai, Maj-Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar, to dismantle the camps in Jere to weaken the insurgents’ ability to launch attacks on military bases and nearby communities.

Meanwhile, HURIWA, through its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, expressed concern over Gumi’s recent televised remarks suggesting that government officials are aware of the identities and locations of terrorists and sometimes interact with them in the presence of security operatives.

The group said if the claims are accurate, they raise serious questions about the government’s commitment to tackling terrorism.

HURIWA warned that it would escalate the matter internationally if concrete action is not taken within seven working days to address the continuing attacks.

According to the group, it may petition the United States Congress, the administration of President Donald Trump and the International Criminal Court (ICC) to push for a global investigation into Nigeria’s handling of terrorism.

“HURIWA will not stand by while Nigerians are killed daily. If the government truly knows these terrorists and their locations, then excuses must end and arrests and prosecutions must begin immediately,” the group said.

The rights organisation added that under the law, failing to act on credible knowledge of criminal activity could amount to complicity.

It therefore called on the Federal Government to clarify whether Gumi’s claims are true and, if so, take urgent steps to neutralise the insurgents.