Author: The Nation

• …confirms presence of ISIS in North West  

• …warns vigilantes against unilateral operations 

• …operation error caused bomb drop in Offa

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) said it has observed that terrorists dislodged in Sokoto, following the recent airstrikes, are now fleeing the target areas and infiltrating other communities.

“The Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Michael Onoja, revealed this while answering questions from journalists during the end-of-year media briefing at Defence Headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday.

Nigerian and the United States (US) military conducted midnight airstrikes on ISIS enclaves in Sokoto State on Christmas Eve, neutralising multiple foreign-linked terrorists, sparing innocent civilians and livestock.

The operation targeted the Lakurawa group, a Sahel-based terror cell described by U.S. officials as ISIS-linked fighters, which had established enclaves across border communities in Sokoto and Kebbi States.

The United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) and Nigerian authorities formally validated the success of the counter-terrorism operation.

However, five days after the operation, Nigeria’s military high command said intelligence had revealed that the terrorists were leaving the target areas in droves and moving into other communities.

General Onoja warned residents to remain vigilant and immediately report any suspicious movement or individuals to security agencies to enable swift action and the apprehension of the terrorists.

He said: “We continue to carry out operational planning to ensure that wherever they relocate, we are monitoring them. We are taking the necessary actions and communicating with all force commanders in the areas identified as threat zones, to prevent them from assimilating into communities and causing further havoc.

“As time goes on, you will hear about all the activities we are carrying out.”

The Defence spokesperson said the military had already begun mobilising the civilian population in the threat areas to be vigilant.

“We are mobilizing the civilian population to be vigilant and give information to the security agencies so that any issue of insecurity or any movement of all these terrorists, we can act fast on it,” he said. 

Responding to a question about reports of locals possessing remnants of the bombs, the Defence spokesperson appealed to communities near the targeted areas to return any such remnants, in order to prevent further harm to themselves or their loved ones.

“We can only appeal to them to return all materials that we prove harmful to them,” he said.

“We don’t expect anybody to take away these materials. There are those whose duty it is to recover these materials. 

“We also want the media to disseminate this information to them. They should return them to the military or security locations so that we can disarm these things before they cause greater damage to the individuals who are keeping them and to the other members of the public.”

Contrary to allegations that there was no presence of an ISIS-linked terror group in Sokoto and the North-West region of the country, General Onoja said military intelligence gathering had confirmed that the ISIS-linked group exists in the state.

The Defence spokesperson, who also showed journalists a classified video of the Nigeria–US airstrikes, emphasized that multiple intelligence reports had confirmed the existence of the group before the strikes were launched.

Onoja said: “You know, terrorists are ubiquitous and we cannot confine them to one location.

“Of course, there’s evidence to show that they’re in the Sahel. So, we can also take it further since the proximity of the Sahel to Sokoto. And intelligence reports have confirmed their presence there before those strikes were conducted against them.

“So yes, they were there, because those strikes were based on intelligence reports. They have confirmed their presence in those areas. 

“The fact that it was not publicised is also sometimes for operational security reasons. So I can tell you that the intelligence that was given was correct.”

Responding to reports about the two objects believed to be explosives that landed in separate locations in Offa, Kwara State, on Thursday, the Defence spokesperson said even though it could be false, such occurrences could also not be ruled out during military operations

He said: “On the issue of the bomb that dropped in Ofa, yes, you know, these things happen. We cannot rule out mistakes—they could be human error—so it’s possible that the reports are false. Luckily, there were no casualties where it landed in Ofa, so we’re grateful for that.”

On a viral video showing vigilante members holding guns and claiming to assist the military in fighting criminals, the military spokesperson warned such groups against carrying out any operations without prior approval from the military or other security agencies.

He warned that the presence of unregistered vigilante groups is jeopardizing military operations.

“That is a concern that even we in the security sector always consider before approvals are given for such groups to be established. In doing so, we conduct a needs analysis to ensure there are adequate control measures in place to prevent them from going beyond their mandate. That’s why, most of the time, even during operations conducted by high-priority forces, they do not act alone.

“They operate in conjunction with either the military or other security agencies. So, I want us to be reassured that we are doing everything possible to manage them. We also urge the public to report any excesses they observe so these can be quickly addressed and prevented from escalating,” the Defence spokesperson said.