- As Armed pirates attack fishing boat in Southern Philippines, killing eight
The Department of State Service, DSS, yesterday, said that its operatives arrested several suspected fleeing members of the Boko Haram terrorist group in Lagos, Taraba, Nasarawa and Kogi states.
The Service, in a statement by Tony Opuiyo, said: “In its determined counter-terrorism efforts to consolidate on the gains it has made in the sustenance of offensive against identified criminal gangs, kidnap syndicates and terrorist elements across the country, the DSS has recorded major successes which have further degraded the capability of these elements to operate in the county.
“The Service arrested four suspected fleeing members of the Boko Haram; Fanayi Bukar Hassan, Butame Hassan, Kologoni Bukar, and Amina Abubakar on January 10 (yesterday) at Oko-Oba, Ifako-Ijaiye LGA of Lagos State. They are suspected to have fled to the state to evade arrest in the ongoing military offensive in the North East. Same day at Okene town, Adavi LGA, Kogi State, the leader of the Boko Haram sect in Okene, Abdullahi Mohammed aka Huja, was arrested. Suspect had been responsible for the coordination of Boko Baram activities in Okene axis of Kogi State.
“On January 8, 2017 about 1500 hours, one Elijah Oyebode, aged 22 years, was arrested in connection with the disappearance of one Damilola Rofiat Adebisi (F), a 400 level student of the Department of Chemistry Education, Osun State University, Ipetu-Ijesa campus, Oriade LGA. The incident occurred on December 22, 2016. Oyebade confessed to picking the victim along with two other men on October 22, 2016 and claimed to have dropped them off at a house in Ikirun. Investigation is ongoing.
“On January 8, 2017, one Bello Mohammed (aka Awilo), the leader of a syndicate that specialized in car theft and burglary in Gombe State was arrested at Jekadafari area of Gombe metropolis of the state. Mohammed confessed to being the kingpin of the syndicate in the state. His confession led to the arrest of an associate, Abdullahi Ibrahim (alias Dibal) who is seen at the arrowhead of the gang in the North East. Ibrahim also disclosed that he has stolen 10 cars in Gombe.
”Based on his confession, two buyers of the stolen cars identified as Surajo Ali Gombe, and Danjuma Baka, have been arrested. “Also on January 7, 2017, the Service also arrested the trio of Elijah Awua, Joseph Ejaka and Hope Nathan, at Kanshio, Otukpo Road, Makurdi, Benue State. The suspects are members of a notorious kidnap syndicate that has been responsible for several kidnap operations in Nasarawa, Benue and Plateau States. Their most recent venture was the gang’s abduction of a staff of Radio Benue, Makurdi on December 2, 2016.
“Suspects were arrested with a silver coloured Toyota RAV4 vehicle marked ABJ AQ 720 KUJ. Two other members of the syndicate identified as Gabriel Joshua and Timothy (FNU) are currently on the run and being trailed. “On January 1, 2017, at Mutum Biyu in Gassol Local Government Area of Taraba State, Bale Kolomi Grema and Kolomi Adba-Aji were arrested in a mosque after they had fled Marte, Borno State, where they were involved in Boko Haram terrorist activities. Also on the same January 1, 2017, a kidnap suspect, Amadu Bello, was apprehended at Hotoron Arewa, Nasarawa LGA of Kano State for his involvement in a kidnap operation at Zomo village, Ningi LGA of Bauchi State from which he got a share of N3m from the ransom.
“In another incident, two suspected Boko Haram insurgents, Ibrahim Mala and Abdallah Modu were arrested on January 6, 2017 at Amba and Gudi villages of Kokona LGA of Nasarawa State. The suspects who are indigenes of Maiduguri, Borno State, had fled the military action in Borno State and were regrouping in the state under different trade covers.
“While Modu sells children’s wears, Mala, who trades in perfumes, confessed to his membership of the sect and disclosed that he (Mala) joined the Yusufiyya faction in 2007. Similarly, Abdulkarim Dahiru, a key terrorist commander and an indigene of Okengwe, Okene LGA of Kogi State, was arrested at the Specialist Hospital, Lokoja. Suspect was identified as the main coordinator of several kidnappings as well as other robbery activities in Kogi and Edo states.”
In the meantime, armed men killed eight fishermen in what appeared to be an attack by pirates in dangerous waters in the southern Philippines, a coast guard spokesman said on Tuesday.
The apparent act of piracy came as Philippine soldiers were given a six-month deadline to end Islamist militant threats, including those made on cargo ships in south, where a long-festering insurgency has been exacerbated by the growing influence of the Islamic State militant group.
About two dozen sailors and tourists were taken captive by Islamist militants last year in attacks on tug boats and yachts in the Celebes and Sulu seas, raising concerns among defence officials from Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines about Islamist militancy and piracy.
Coast guard spokesman Commander Armand Balilo said a Filipino fishing boat with 15 crew on board was operating off Laud Siromon island near the Zamboanga peninsula on Monday night when five armed men on a speed boat attacked them.
“The attackers opened fire at the fishermen,” Balilo said.
He said eight were killed and another five men jumped overboard and swam to a nearby island. Two others who remained on the boat were unharmed.
“We consider this a piracy attack. If these were Islamist militants, they would have been taken captive and held for ransom,” Balilo said.
He said the attackers fled in the darkness and two coast guard ships were sent to the area to search for them.
Last month, a container ship repulsed an attack by members of the Islamic State-linked Abu Sayyaf group who attempted to board the vessel and abduct the crew, the coast guard has said.
Defence Minister Delfin Lorenzana said the military had been ordered to end threats from Abu Sayyaf within six months, with more troops to be poured into the area while a ceasefire agreement with Maoist-led guerrillas holds.
“That is our target,” Lorenzana told reporters. “We will just have to do all we can, combining military operations and developmental projects to end what they are doing,” he said.
The small but violent Abu Sayyaf group, known in the south for kidnapping, extortion, and beheadings, has been holding about two dozen captives, including Dutch, German, Japanese, Indonesian, Malaysian and Vietnamese nationals.
Vanguard with additional report from Ships & Ports
