Chidi Samuel|
The Nigerian Military on Saturday said it has killed one of the leaders of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) – the Boko Haram factional group that kidnapped over 100 Dapchi secondary school girls in Yobe state earlier this year.
The Nigerian Army (NA) in a statement, revealed that the ISWAP media chief, Ahmad Sale, was neutralised in an operation by its troops in conjunction with personnel of the Nigerian Air Force.
The statement read, “Reports available reveal that one Sale Ahmad Sale a. k. a. Baban Hassan, the leader of Al-Barnawi media group, a faction of Boko Haram was killed by a joint operation conducted by the Nigerian Army and Nigerian Air Force.”
“The killing of the media leader is indicative of efforts by the NA to eliminate key members of the sect.
“It is worthy to note that the sect is directly affiliated to the Islamic State and has carried out several attacks against own troops and innocent civilians in the past.”
The Army noted that the death of the group’s media leader has shown that the leadership of the terrorist group was being targeted successfully by the military.
It assured Nigerians that other key members of the group would soon be apprehended or killed, thus decimating the terrorists and their activities in the country.
The Army disclosed further that it has identified the new leader of another terrorist group – Jama’atu Nus’ratul-Islami Wal-Muslimina, Abul-Fadl Iyad Gali.
“The group is a new terrorist group which Ansaru is affiliated to. In the same vein, the identification of the leader of Jama’atu Nus’ratul-Islami Wal-Muslimina group would enable the NA to target the group effectively using advanced technologies in its arsenal.”
The existence of the group, the army stated, portends grave danger to the nation’s security.
It will be recalled that the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) is still holding Leah Sharibu, one the over 100 secondary school girls from Dapchi secondary school kidnapped by the group earlier in the year in captivity.
The group refused to release Leah because she refused to renounce her Christian faith.