The Council of Ulama of Yelwa in Shendam local government area of Plateau State has denounced the tagging of two law-abiding young tailors of the town as members of the Islamic State in West African Province (ISWAP) terrorist organisation.

Recal that the headquarters of Operation Safe Haven in Plateau State, had on Saturday, 12th April, 2025 issued a press release in which it declared that its operatives had arrested members of ISWAP, neutralised a bandit and also recovered some arms.

In the release signed by Samson Nantip Zahkom, its Media Information Officer, a Major, it publicised photos of 25-year-old Abdulkadir Dalhatu and 25-year-old Ubaidu Hassan, both of whom are well-known natives of the town, but whom it described as ?members of the Islamic State?s West Africa Province (ISWAP) in Plateau State?.

The special military task force, in th statement, alleged that: ?In a coordinated operation on 11 April 2025, troops of Forward Operating Base (FOB) Shendam busted an ISWAP cell located around Yelwa axis in Shendam Local Government Area (LGA) of Plateau State.

?During the sting operation, 2 suspected ISWAP members identified as Abdulkadir Dalhatu 25 years-old and Ubaidu Hassan 25 years-old posing as tailors were arrested by troops?.

However, In a statement signed by the leaders of the council, Imam Abdulkarim Salihu (Chairman), Imam Abubakar Nuhu Gambo (Secretary) and Imam Armaya?u Abdulkadir Ismail (Treasurer), denied any operation by the troops in the area, saying that the arrested tailors were innocent.

The council said, ?we wish to state categorically that there was not such operation by troops of the task force on the said date in Yelwa. On the contrary, we wish to state as follows: On Thursday, 10th April, 2025, a lanky fairly complexioned man (name unknown), who appears to be in his early 40s visited Yelwa and began to snap photographs by the time he arrived at the front of the tailoring shop where the two young men ply their trade, which is at the frontage of Abdullahi Baraya Family Compound along Ibbi Road.

? Uncomfortable with a stranger snapping and sharing their photographs, and also making telephone calls to confirm receipt of those photos, the two young men, alongside other passersby who got attracted to the development, accosted the stranger demanding that he identifies himself, and also requesting to know why he took their photographs, after he claimed to have been on ?an official duty?.

?When he refused to identify himself properly, they invited an elderly occupant of the house by name Suleiman Abdullahi Baraya, who intervened and asked the visibly tense young men to allow him have a private discussion with the stranger. As soon as he was allowed to step aside to discuss with Mr. Baraya, the stranger put a call to someone he said was his boss, and moments after that the police arrived the scene.

?They (police) invited the two young men, alongside the elder to join them to the police post in Yelwa. From there, the three (Mr. Baraya in tow) were moved to the 332 Artillery Regiment Army Barracks in Shendam, where all three were interrogated by the Commanding Officer (CO) of the Barracks.

?From the account given to us by Mr. Baraya, who has since been released, the special military task force was on the trail of a suspected terrorist who was alleged to have ?some time ago? visited the same tailoring shop operated by the two young men, and that the stranger taking and sharing photographs was ?an intelligence officer? on an ?undercover operation? in the hope of unravelling the suspected ISWAP member, ? the statement said.

The council further said the community was surprised to receive such information from the security service, saying ?It was utterly shocking for our entire community therefore that barely 24 hours after Abdulkadir and Ubaidu were transferred to Jos from Shendam ?to help in the investigation to ascertain if the suspected ISWAP member had indeed visited their shop some time ago?, we saw the pictures of these two young men, known in the entire Yelwa community to be well behaved and upright, in viral media publications being described as members of a terrorist organisation.

?For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to reiterate that Abdulkadir Dalhatu and Ubaidu Hassan are both known in our community to be law-abiding, morally sound, and ethically virtuous, and we therefore found the terrorism tag placed over their heads as unfair and unjust. We are, therefore, hereby requesting, on behalf of the entire people of Yelwa, that the headquarters of Operation Safe Haven conducts its investigation into this matter with utmost professionalism, and also speedily in a manner that does no harm to the lives and livelihood of these young men. We equally demand the immediate release of the two to return to their shop, from where they are eking out a living, and also supporting their indigent families, the council added. (Daily Trust)

Update news