The new terrorist group, Mahmuda, has intensified its attacks at various communities in Kwara and Niger States.
Suspected members of the new terrorist group, Mahmuda, were said to have attacked communities in Ilesha Baruba and Kemaanji, Baruten and Kaiama local government areas of Kwara State on Sunday night.
They had on Friday reportedly killed some vigilantes in the state.
Daily Trust gathered that the assailants, who were on military camouflage riding motorcycles, stormed a market square at 9:30 pm and opened fire on the residents before they zoomed off.
Four Fulani, a vigilante and a 19-year-old teenager, who was hit by a stray bullet reportedly lost their lives during the attack.
According to a resident of the area, the fresh incident is coming in the wake of a similar attack the same day in neighbouring Kaiama where a vigilante was killed.
Speaking to Daily Trust yesterday on the Baruten incident, the source said: “We suspect that they came with a premeditated motive because they fired at the Fulani at close range shooting them in the head. The vigilante was holding a dane gun and they saw him as a threat. But the boy was hit by a stray bullet.
“The place is a very popular trading spot with a lot of business and commercial activities. It was a sudden attack believed to be a reprisal over alleged collaboration with the security agencies against the terrorists”, the resident said.
The new terrorist group was said to have been killing and kidnapping people at Kemaanji, Tenebo, Baabete, Nuku, and Nanu villages in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State and communities in Yashikira District of Baruten LGA, also in Kwara as well as in Babana and Wawa districts of Borgu LGA of Niger State.
Despite the successes which the federal government said it had recorded in containing the attacks, security and intelligence experts say the escalated attacks by terrorists, especially the emergence Mahmuda, indicate that the fight against terrorism should be intensified.
Some of the experts, who spoke to Daily Trust, alleged that the emergence of the new terrorist group casts a doubt on the credibility of the country’s intelligence system.
Non-state actors targeting vigilantes in reprisal attack – Gov AbdulRazaq
Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq yesterday led a delegation that comprised top military and intelligence chiefs to visit Kaiama to assess the security concerns and reinforce inter-agency collaboration across border communities.
Speaking during the “strategic security interface” with the Emir of Kaiama, Alh Muazu Shehu Omar and other critical stakeholders, said the incident was a reprisal attack by non-state actors targeting vigilantes.
He assured the state government was working with the military and other relevant agencies to bring peace to the affected communities and dislodge the terrorists.
“What we are seeing today is the non-state actors targeting the vigilantes in a reprisal attack and this will come to pass. This is because we are working with the military who have visited the place, made contact and had robust engagement”, he said.
The governor said the state government would ensure that peace returned to the Kainji National Park axis.
How Mahmuda emerged
Mahmuda was said to have migrated from Mokwa in Niger State and had visibly occupied the Kainji Lake National Park over five years ago when they raided the park and chased out the Range Guards.
Some reports have claimed that the Mahmuda group is another breakaway faction of the Shekau-led Boko Haram but with “moderate” ideology and connection to other groups in Benin/Niger Republic. They referred to themselves as the Mahmuda Group or Mallam Group, their leader’s name.
But the Kwara State Police Command had, in a statement by its spokeswoman, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, denied the existence of the Mahmuda terrorist group and the reported killing of 15 vigilantes by the group.
“Our comprehensive and continuous threat assessments, intelligence surveillance and tactical reconnaissance operations in these areas have yielded no evidence of insurgent activity, coordinated terrorist formations, or mass casualty incidents as described.
“The claim of 15 vigilantes being killed is entirely false and devoid of any factual basis”, she added.
Residents of Kwara State said the Mahmuda terrorist group had been operating in the affected communities of Yashikira district of Baruten including Kemaanji, Wajibe, and Nuku among others in Kaiama for over five years.
They said the group started as a religious body, giving sermons about their form of Islam.
Locals said the group had attracted many teenagers as fighters and informants.
“Before now, we had called the attention of the authorities and security operatives to their growing influence and it was only recently that the military led a major onslaught against them which included aerial bombardments, killing many of them,” a resident, Alhaji Haruna Idirissa, said.
Adequate security deployment in place – Police
The Kwara State Police Command assured residents of the affected communities that adequate security deployments were in place and being reinforced to forestall any threat to peace and order.
“Citizens are urged to go about their lawful activities without fear, while remaining vigilant and cooperative with law enforcement.
“Let it be clearly stated that any individual or group attempting to undermine the safety of our communities will be decisively dealt with in accordance with the law”, the spokeswoman, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, said in a statement on Tuesday.
DAILY TRUST.
