- HURIWA gives Federal Government seven-day ultimatum over terrorism claims
- Cleric Ahmad Gumi says government knows terrorists’ identities and locations
- Boko Haram and ISWAP reportedly establish new hideouts in Borno
- Concerns raised over threats to NNPCL exploration sites and nearby communities
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Federal Government of Nigeria to arrest and prosecute terrorists following claims by Islamic cleric Ahmad Gumi that authorities know the identities and locations of insurgents operating across the country.
Fresh security concerns have emerged in Borno State after reports that insurgent groups have established new hideouts in the Tuba settlement near facilities belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited in Jere Local Government Area.
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Local sources and farmers in the area reportedly observed about 200 motorcycles at a fortress believed to be used by members of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province.
The suspected insurgents are said to be targeting NNPCL exploration sites and nearby communities including Dusuman, Ngom, Jabarman, Gongulong Lawanti, Koshebe, and areas around Muna Garage, which is located about 20 kilometres east of Maiduguri.
Other potential targets reportedly include Madinatu, the Maiduguri cattle market, and travellers moving along the Maiduguri-Monguno and Mafa roads.
According to reports, the terror groups have been sending small attack units on motorcycles toward the Ngom community along the Maiduguri-Dikwa road, before moving through the Maiduguri-Mafa road and eventually reaching Konduga Local Government Area, located near the southern edge of the Sambisa Forest, a long-standing hideout for insurgents in the North-East.
A local hunter, Konto Aliyu, aged 65, expressed concern about the growing security threat in the region. He urged the Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai, Abdulsalam Abubakar, to dismantle the insurgents’ hideouts in Jere to weaken their ability to launch attacks on military bases and civilian communities.
Meanwhile, HURIWA, through its national coordinator Emmanuel Onwubiko, raised serious national security concerns following recent remarks by Ahmad Gumi during a televised interview.
Gumi reportedly claimed that the government already knows the identities and locations of every terrorist operating in Nigeria, adding that he had interacted with some armed groups in the presence of government officials and security agents.
Reacting to the claim, HURIWA said if the statement is accurate, it would expose a serious failure in the country’s counter-terrorism efforts.
The organisation therefore called on the Federal Government to immediately arrest and prosecute the terrorists allegedly identified, warning that failure to act within seven days could undermine public confidence in Nigeria’s fight against insurgency.