The Defence Headquarters has stated that its troops are locating and eliminating terrorists in the Northwest and maintained that there is no cause for alarm, News About Nigeria reports.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Edward Buba, made this known while briefing newsmen on the operations of the military on Thursday in Abuja.
He noted that a new terrorist group known as ‘Lukarawas’, has emerged in the northwestern part of Nigeria.
He disclosed that the new terror group emerged from the Republic of Niger after the coup that led to the breakdown of military cooperation between Nigeria and Niger.
According to him, the terrorists began incursion into northern parts of Sokoto and Kebbi States from the Niger Republic and Mali axis, particularly after the coup in the Niger Republic.
He stressed that before the coup, there were joint border operations with Nigerien security forces, which kept the terrorists at bay, lamenting the fact that all these have changed with the emergence of the terrorists.
He further noted that the group was accommodated by the locals, who initially thought that the group meant well for them, adding that they failed to report the movement to the military and security agencies.
He gave assurance that troops had sustained intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) to degrade the terrorists, adding that they are locating and terminating the terrorists.
He stated, “The terrorists took advantage of the gaps in cooperation between both countries and exploited difficult terrains to make incursions in remote areas in some North Western states to spread their ideology.”
