Dispersed from Syria, ISIS targets the world from Nigeria

By Uche Mbah

 

Rumors that the Boko Haram terrorist organization has been taken over by ISIS seem to be substantiated by reports that Nigeria may have become a training ground for the group, with further reports of Exchange program by the Islamic state, ISIS, on terror tactics. To this end, Nigeria may have become the new base of the international terror group.

Reports by the Sun, a UK tabloid, expressed worry that such terror couriers could be passed on to the United Kingdom through the porous Air borders in Nigeria, even though the British military have been involved in the training of military personnel in Nigeria. Though the official reason is for the UK military to train its former colonies’ military in counter terrorism, there may have been indications that ISIS commanders do not have the necessary intelligence network to sneak into the country and mingle with the Nigeria Military under training.

In recent years, however, reports have been rife of “pardoned” Boko Haram terrorist members being absorbed into the Nigerian Military, with attendant risks, fueling speculations of complicity-wittingly or unwittingly-in the political powers in the actualization of the ISIS project. ISIS has once claimed close ties with Boko Haram.

The Sun reports that in one training mission in the northern city of Kaduna, a senior Nigerian Air Force commander revealed how his country’s jihadi groups were learning from IS after swearing allegiance to its black flag.

“Group Captain Isaac Subi, 46, who has been fighting terrorism across Africa since 1991, said: ‘They come and train their fighters here and some of our insurgents too are granted access to their training in Yemen and Syria, acquiring those skills and they come back and teach others. They have this exchange program of fighters’”, the paper reports.

An estimate of 3000 terrorists operating in the North east has killed over 20,000 people in the North east, thereby making the issue complicated with the activities of the herdsman, generally believed to be of Fulani heritage, who has been linked in recent times to the Boko Haram activities. Many times some security personnel have been indicted for complicity in the operations of the terrorist organization which have left over two million fleeing from the zone.

Britain has training facilities at different locations in Nigeria. They train the Army at Jaji, Airforce in Kaduna, Commandoes in Lagos, and Special Anti-terrorist Squad in Makurdi.

But Nigerian Airforce planes are reported to be bombing civilian targets in Benue State recently,. Benue has been a hot spot for the clash between herders and Natives.

Daily, deaths are being recorded in the North east with the government of the day appearing to ignore the carnage, even when the killings were blatantly lacking in grazing undertones. No herdsman has ever been prosecuted for killings, even when they own up to it, but recently, some Christians were sentenced to death by a court of competent jurisdiction for killing herdsmen.