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 Fulanis, 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 of 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.

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 for over five years 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.

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.

The Emir of Yashikira Alhaji Umaru Seriki, yesterday said his subjects were living in fear over attacks by the new terrorist group.

?The attacks are not only in Baruten and Kaiama local governments of Kwara State, but also Borgu Kingdom in Niger State.

?Last week, the terrorists destroyed the security vehicle bought by the people for operations by the vigilantes?, he said.

Senate?s alert on Mahmuda in 2022

The Senate had, in 2022, alerted the military over terrorists? hideouts in communities in the three local government areas of Kwara and Niger States.

The Senate had, at that time, specifically urged the military to carry out a detailed onslaught of bandits and criminal elements within Kainji Lake National Park and the identified communities.

This followed the consideration of a motion on the ?worsening insecurity in Kainji Lake National Park and existential threat to communities in Kaima, Baruten and Borgu Local Government in Kwara and Niger states.?

The motion was sponsored by the lawmaker representing Kwara North Senatorial District, Senator Sadiq Umar and co-sponsored by the Deputy Whip, Senator Aliyu Abdullahi, representing Niger North.

Last month, a media report quoted a security expert, Zagazola Makama, as alleging that a detained militant arrested in Kaima community by vigilante forces provided critical intelligence regarding the group?s latest movements and operational structure.

From 1 terrorist group to 5

Nigeria is currently grappling with deadly activities of five terrorist groups: Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Lakurawa, Ansaru and Mahmuda.

Boko Haram

The Jama?at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da?wah wa?l-Jihad, popularly known as Boko Haram, began in Niger State but is now domiciled in Borno after the split that produced the late Abubakar Shekau.

The Boko Haram fighters have also attacked villages in Yobe and Adamawa States. Boko Haram is said to be also active in Chad, Niger, northern Cameroon and Mali. Since the insurgency started in 2009, the group has reportedly killed tens of thousands of people in frequent attacks against the police, armed forces and civilians.

The activities of the sect were said to have resulted in the deaths of more than 300,000 children and the displacement of 2.3 million people from their homes according to a UN report by Al Jazeera in June 2021.

The Boko Haram sect gained global notoriety when it reportedly kidnapped more than 200 school girls from Chibok village in Borno State in 2014.

Lakurawa

The Lakurawa militant group emerged within Sokoto and Kebbi states in north-western Nigeria and across the border with Niger. It initially promised to help the government tackle banditry but later became deadly with affiliations to groups in Mali and Niger. It was recently declared a terrorist rganization by the Nigerian government and banned across the country following several attacks in local communities. It has killed several people in many North West states.

ISWAP

The Islamic State?s West Africa Province (ISWAP), is said to be an offshoot of Boko Haram with which it has a violent rivalry. Until March 2022, ISWAP had reportedly acted as an umbrella rganization for all IS factions in West Africa, including the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (IS-GS) which gave it access to resources and technical assistance. It recently deployed four armed drones carrying locally made grenades in an attack on the Forward Operating Base in the Wajikoro area of Borno, reportedly leaving about five soldiers injured. Their ISWAP?s fighters? use of weaponised drones marked a significant shift in the group?s tactics. The military had reportedly thwarted plans to establish bases in Plateau and Bauchi States from its base in the North East just like Boko Haram.

Ansaru

Ansar is observed to be active in the North-West and the North-Central where bandits and kidnappers also operate. It is reported to be a former faction of Boko Haram that rejected Shekau leadership after the death of Yusuf. The group announced in 2012 that it had pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda and was independent. Despite this, Ansaru and other Boko Haram factions continued to work closely together until the former increasingly declined and stopped its insurgent activities in 2013. Unlike Boko Haram, which is largely based in Borno State in the North East, Ansaru operated in and around Kano State and some parts of North Central and its environs. It claimed responsibility for a prison break at the Special Anti-Robbery Squad headquarters in Abuja in November 2012 among several other kidnapping activities that involved foreigners.

?Convert forests occupied by terrorists into productive centres?

To a retired director of the Department of State Security (DSS), Dr. Abdulsalam Bolakale Suleiman, the Nigerian government must be strategic and proactive in dealing with the situation, saying it is beyond throwing troops at the terrorist groups.

He said unless the government converts the large swathe of forests which the terrorists occupy in Sambisa and Kainji Lake, among others, into productive centres, it will be difficult to make progress.

?These vast forests with boundaries linking several states and countries must be occupied otherwise it will be difficult. They should also look towards engaging and equipping forest guards, many of whom have abandoned the forests now and most importantly the government should look seriously into the issue of human security in food, economy, health, community and environment among others.

?These terrorists are luring and enticing recruits and even locals in some instances with money. Taking troops to them who are not even well motivated will not help us?, the retired DSS director said.

?NSA Office, security agencies have questions to answer?

An intelligence and counter-terrorism expert, Abdullahi Garba, in an interview with Daily Trust, wondered why there was no intelligence about Mahmuda group before it emerged.

?I think the DSS, DIA and NIA have questions to answer regarding how the new terror group penetrated the country, because their coming is not spontaneous.

?Why do we have intelligence agencies if we can?t determine this type of scenario in our country? In countering terrorism, intelligence agencies need to do more. They should ensure that no stone is left unturned.

?There is a way DSS and other intelligence agencies can get this type of information before it boomerangs if they want to genuinely get it. I won?t reveal this strategy, they also know,? he said.

Security agencies mum

When contacted, the spokesman of the Nigeria police Force, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, directed our correspondent to the military for a reaction.

One of our correspondents contacted the Director, Defence Media Operations, Major-General Markus Kangye, and the head of the National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Major-General Adamu Garba Laka, but they neither answered several calls nor replied to messages sent to their mobile telephone lines.

But a highly-placed source in the NCTC, who did not want to be mentioned, said the police and the DSS had swung into action to contain the activities of the new terrorist group.

He said, ?As it stands now, the police and the DSS operatives are working round the clock to ensure that the activities of the new terror group are curtailed.

?It is not an external stuff, it is already an internal thing, and the police as a lead agency in maintaining internal security have taken over. The results will be obvious soon.?

?Constitute intelligence expert committee?

A retired Assistant Commissioner of Police, Saka Fagade, urged the federal government to ?constitute a proper committee comprising of experts that have worked in intelligence outfits in the private and government sectors whether serving or retired on security issues that should be saddled with the responsibility of tackling the situation.?

?Security issues are very complex but Nigeria can handle this situation. If I have the best idea now, I will also have to be very conscious of my safety too but in an enclosed environment with no fear of exposure, I will be able to talk.

?Insurgents are intelligent people, whether we want to accept it or not. How are we sure that some of these officials are not their financials, these are the issues and it?s not something that we should handle with kid gloves otherwise, it will continue to get worse,? Fagade said.

On his part, Ajayi Okasanmi, one of the longest serving police Public Relation Officers in the country before his retirement last year, told Daily Trust that the situation needs a holistic approach.

According to him, ?70 percent can be attributed to political calculations and machinations.

?About 70 percent of the reason for this can be attributed to political calculations and machinations among the political gladiators.

?When this present government came on board, the security situation like kidnapping and banditry which Nigerians were not hitherto known for went down and all the security agencies collaborated. Suddenly as we get to the period of politicking again, we have started to experience the issue in various forms.

?What we can do as a nation is to put aside our political inclinations and unite as Nigerians to defeat this scourge. The federal and state governments are doing their best but there appears to be some people hellbent on making sure that the country does not have peace.

?While I want to believe the police that there is no terror group in Kwara, that does not say the security agencies should go to sleep with the belief that it cannot not happen.

?Rather they should put more effort into ensuring that the state remains peaceful. The moment it is planted in Kwara State, it may be very difficult to treat just as we are witnessing in Borno, Adamawa, Kebbi and the rest of the places. More importantly, this is a collective responsibility and everybody must unite to defeat it,? Okasanmi, who is not a security consultant, added. (Daily Trust, but headline rejigged)

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