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| IGP, Mohammed Abubakar |
‘Military dogs aid
arrest of 56 insurgents’
By: Damilola Oyedele and Ibrahim Shuaibu
The federal government has said it would confirm purported
link between Boko Haram and Lebanon-based militant group, Hezbollah, before any
concrete action could be taken. The government's position emerged a day after
officers of the Joint Task Force discovered a cache of arms at the home of a
Lebanese in Kano.
This came on a day the Lebanese community in Kano distanced
itself from the weapons which Nigerian security agencies have linked to
Hezbollah, considered a terrorist organisation by many western nations.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Ambassador Martin Uhomoihbi, told journalists at a media briefing Friday in
Abuja, that Nigeria's relationship with Lebanon cannot be truncated by the
conduct of a few citizens.
"What we are reading from the press needs to be
confirmed. We would study the situation and take the appropriate action when we
do so. Lebanon is a country with which we have excellent bilateral relations.
It would not be right to judge a relationship with a country based the conduct
of a few citizens," he said, adding that the relationship between the two
nations has blossomed in the Jonathan administration.
Speaking on the outcome of the AU Summit and Nigeria's
participation, Uhomoibhi disclosed that Nigeria provided the much needed
leadership in settling the question of finding alternative sources for funding
of the AU which is at present heavily dependent on external partners for most
of its programmers' budget.
According to the permanent secretary, President Jonathan, at
the Summit was able to convince the panel
set up to identify possible sources of raising alternative funding for the AU after the members resisted the
adoption of the recommendations in the report.
Briefing Reporters in Kano in its first reaction to the
shocking discovery, Chairman of the Lebanese community, Tahir Fadlallah, said
members of the community ‘’unequivocally condemns crime in whatever form’’.
Fadlallah, chairman of the Tahir Guest Palace in Kano said
that ‘with almost century years of our stay in Kano, we have never been
associated with any crime that threatened the peace of our host.
‘’The community is ready and willing to cooperate with
security and law enforcement agencies in their efforts to counter any act or
activities associated or related to terrorists act.’’
According to him, ”Lebanese community will not accept or
associate with any criminal associated or related by any individual or group”.
Tahir also condemned a media report suggesting he had a link
to the armoury. “I am not involved and prepared to initiate a legal action for
redress."
On Thursday, the Department of State Security Service (DSS)
and the Nigerian Army 3 Brigade, in Bukavu, Kano, uncovered an arms warehouse
at a building owned by a Lebanese national identified as Abdul Hassan. The
weapons were allegedly found in an underground bunker of his master bedroom at
his No 3 Gaya Road, off Bompai Road residence.
Also, troops of the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) deployed
to enforce the state of emergency in some states of the north are fast gaining
the host communities on their side, as they are said to be more inclined to
expose members of sect in their midst.
A statement issued yesterday by the Director of Defence
Information, Brig-Gen. Chris Olukolade said community members now volunteer
information that has helped the force to foil infiltration of the insurgents
among locals.
Olukolade said that the cooperation of the civilian
population was crucial in the capture of a group of deserting Boko Haram
members who were searching for food from the communities.
He said that the intensive cordon and search operation being
conducted by the troops of the Special Forces received the major boost from
civilians in communities close to locations being focused in the operation on
Thursday.
He said: "A group of terrorists moving from village to
village in search of large quantity of food were tracked and apprehended following
a tip-off from civilians.
"The group which was moving around in a Toyota Land
Cruiser Jeep with registration number Borno XA 428 ADM which is suspected to
have been stolen was eventually arrested at Daban Masara with weapons such as
AK 47 rifle, single barrel shotgun, double hand shotgun and various calibres of
ammunition."
Olukolade also disclosed that 56 insurgents were apprehended
with the help of military police dogs.
He listed the items recovered from the arrested insurgents
to include seven packs of IEDs, two rocket-propelled gun chargers, a rifle
magazine, two machetes, bomb detonators, camouflage and other military uniforms
as well as medicines equipment, seven vehicles including a Jeep and eight
tri-cycles.
"It is believed that some stranded terrorists are keen
on establishing new camps. They are being trailed accordingly. There were also
a few encounters with some insurgents in forest locations apart from the
identified and destroyed camps. The campaign to rid the nation’s territories of
the insurgents continues," he added
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