The Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, who disclosed this during a press briefing at Defence Headquarters, Abuja, said the terrorists had since been kept at bay by the joint security forces.
Daily Trust reports that Sokoto State Government while receiving participants of Course 33 of the NDC Abuja, who were on a study tour in the state, had raised the alarm over the emergence of another terrorist group in the state.
Similarly, as Chadian troops intensified operations on the shores of the Lake Chad, some Boko Haram terrorists have continued to move further into villages in Borno State, heightening locals’ fears of possible security breaches.
Explaining how the terrorists found their way to Sokoto and Kebbi, Buba said they emerged from the Republic of Niger after the coup that led to the breakdown of military cooperation between Nigeria and Niger.
He specifically said that the terrorists began incursion into northern parts of Sokoto and Kebbi states from the Niger Republic and Mali axis, particularly after the coup in Niger Republic.
According to him, prior to the coup, there were joint border operations with Nigerien security forces which kept the terrorists at bay, but they cashed in on the breakdown to penetrate Nigeria.
“The terrorists took advantage of the gaps in cooperation between both countries and exploited difficult terrains to make incursions in remote areas in some Northwestern states to spread their ideology,” Buba said.
The senior military officer said 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.
Buba gave assurance that troops had sustained Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) to degrade the terrorists, insisting that their end is near.
He added, “The terror group had continued to take advantage of the vast under-governed or ungoverned areas to hide and evade troops as well as harass the locals. Troops are locating them and eliminating the threat.”
In the same vein, the terrorists the senior military officer declared wanted include: Abu Khadijah, Abdulrahman, Dadi Gumba, Usman Kanin Shehu, Abu Yusuf, among others.
