The Department of State Security released a statement today
stating that a suspected recruiter of ISIS, and others, have been arrested in
Nigeria. Read the full statement signed by DSS official, Tony Okpuiyo after the
cut...
DSS Arrests ISIS Recruiter and Other Terrorists - Planned
Terrorists Attacks in States Aborted
In line with the Service statutory mandate to decisively and continually provide
actionable intelligence as well as act to degrade persons and groups that
threaten internal security in the
Country, the Service initiated series of tactical operations, involving raids
and enforcement actions against identified criminal and extremist kingpins and
syndicates across the country.
These recent operations have significantly degraded the key
extremist groups and kidnapping gangs, terrorizing innocent citizens in the
Country, particularly in the South-West, North-West and Middle-Belt regions of
the Federation.
On 17th January, 2016, one Abdussalam Enesi YUNUSA, a
recruiter for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) was arrested in Kano.
His arrest was sequel to available intelligence which indicated his terrorist
antecedents and covert drive to indoctrinate and recruit susceptible youths in
the country.
Prior to his arrest, YUNUSA had completed arrangements to
embark on a journey to join an ISIS terrorist training camp in Libya, with
other Nigerians whom he recruited for the ‘Islamic State’. These recruits
include the trio of one Muhammed RABI’U, Yahaya Momoh JIMOH and Zainab SUNDAY
(f). YUNUSA is a 400 level undergraduate student of the Federal University of
Technology, Minna, Niger State, where he was studying for a degree in
Information and Media Technology.
He was subsequently radicalized and became a member of an
extremist cell, comprising of one IBRAHIM (fnu) and Abubakar LIGALI, whom he
revealed are currently undergoing terrorist training in Libya. He listed one
AMINU (fnu) and Ibrahim JIHADI (Nigeriene), as other ISIS agents operating in
Nigeria and the West African sub-region. The cell was being funded by one
Abu-sa’ad Al Sudani, a media expert with the extremist group using Western
Union money transfers to fund the terrorist cell agenda.
On 17th January, 2016, in Daura township of Daura LGA,
Katsina State, another budding extremist cell affiliated to ISIS, was
intercepted by the Service. One Ibrahim Mohammed DAURA, Zaharadeen SALISU and
five other elements of the proscribed extremist group, Ansaru, were arrested by
the Service. This group was discovered in an active stage, as its members were
already co-ordinating themselves for attacks in Katsina and Kano States.
In the same vein, on 22nd January, 2016, one Obansa SALAMI,
Ejide TIJANI aka Abu Uwaise II, Mohammed RABIU aka Ubida II, Zainab MOHAMMED
and Abdulqadir Salisu AHMAD were arrested in Kano by this Service, while migrating to Libya, with their immediate
families including infants, in a bid to join ISIS. This group was apprehended
after painstaking monitoring of its network and plans.
On 29th January, 2016, the Service arrested Mohammed Aliyu
NDAKO in Kwara State. NDAKO is a seventeen (17) year old undergraduate student
of a tertiary institution in the State. He was arrested sequel to credible
intelligence on his plans with one Abdulkadir Salisu AHMAD a.k.a Daddy Tall,
another student in Kano State, to carry out coordinated lone-wolf attacks on
selected populated targets in Nigeria preferably worship centres or recreation
venues. Suspect had hitherto been communicating with foreign extremist
elements, while sourcing online terrorist training and support.
Within the window of these tactical operations, between the
month of December 2015 and February 2016, the Service, busted the
network of syndicated kidnap gangs spanning different regions in the
country, especially Kebbi, Zamfara, Niger, Nasarawa, FCT, Oyo and Osun States.
Foremost in this line, was the arrest of a gang of five (5) kidnappers,
Abubakar HASSAN, Usman MUSA, Usman ADAMU and Idrisa Babangida AHMADU at Ife
junction, Osun State, on 3rd February,
2016.
On 5th February, 2016, the fifth member of the gang, Saidu
ISYAKU was arrested at Ojo area, Oyo State. These kidnappers, Six (6) AK 47
rifles, five (5) magazines and about one thousand rounds of ammunition were
recovered. This gang has been active in the South West axis of the country and
were at advanced stages of kidnapping high value targets for huge ransom,
before they were intercepted.
Another breakthrough in the fight against kidnapping was the
killing of Abubakar MOHAMMED (aka BUBA), and an unidentified member of his
group, on 8th February, 2016 close to Jebba Medical Centre, Jebba, Kwara State
by security operatives as they tried to escape during a shootout with security
operatives. MOHAMMED was a notorious kidnap kingpin known for his brutality and
various acts of lawlessness. It is disheartening that this criminal and his men
had terrorized, to no end, residents of the South West zone. He was also linked to the kidnap of the elder
statesman, Chief Olu Falae, in Ondo State.
In the wake of deliberate
vandalism of oil pipelines by
criminal elements in the South-South region, the Service arrested one Nengi
Samuel IKIBA aka Kockman Abula, a notorious pipeline vandal on 27th January,
2016, in Bayelsa State. IKIBA confessed to vandalizing several pipelines in the
State, including the 24” Agoda/Brass Oil pipeline at Idema community in Ogbia
LGA of Bayelsa State.
The modest success of the Service in its support to the
Federal Government to achieve its desired economic objectives and stability may
also be noted. To this effect, the DSS have arrested a group of fraudsters who
had concluded plans to hack the Government Integrated Financial Management
Information System (GIFMIS) domiciled in the Office of the Accountant General
of the Federation in order to steal Four Billion, Five Hundred Million Naira
(N4.5b) from the Treasury Single Account (TSA).
The gang was led by one Sunny OKOH, a hacker who worked in collaboration with the trio of Uwem
Udo EKPO, a Chief Program Analyst in the OAGF, Maxwell EKENE, a retired
security operative and Dozie EGWU, based in Malaysia and who is now at large.
The suspected fraudsters intended to use a software they had sourced and codes
released to them by EKPO to hack Government accounts in the Central Bank of
Nigeria (CBN) and defraud the Government of this huge sum.
It is instructive to note that a credibility problem would
have arisen over the TSA policy if these hackers had succeeded in their plan
and thus lend credence to the critics of the policy that it ought not to have
been introduced and implemented. For the avoidance of doubt, the suspects have
been handed over to the EFCC for further investigations and prosecution.
It is pertinent to state that these successes were recorded
as a result of proactive and credible intelligence offered by members of the
public, sister security agencies and other stakeholders. This Service wish to
state that it will continue to deploy every means necessary within its
statutory mandate, and armbit of the law to ensure the security and safety of
all law-abiding residents and citizens wherever they reside.
It is also germane to urge all and sundry to be
extra-vigilant, as well as report any suspicious persons/groups or activities
to relevant security agencies, for the sustenance of relative peace in the
country
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