In a twist of fate, suspected Jihadist terror groups from Maradi in Niger Republic invade the hideouts of armed groups in Northwest Nigeria through Dumburum Forest in Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara State, disarm them, rustle their stolen animals and re-loot other valuable items in their possession, sources said.
The visiting terrorists, according to sources, terrorise the local criminal bands as they are more sophisticated.
A source knowledgeable about the terrain and operations of the bands said: “They come from Dumburum and the leader settles at Adjja Forest.
“The men numbering 50 or thereabout move and rustle in areas like Rahi, Mai Galma, Mutu, etc. They rustle animals, clothing and even food, they take everything; they take away arms.”
Another source said, “Once you see them, they are agile and more sophisticated than the local Fulani militias or bandits, they have different arms and even bigger motorcycles. They cover their faces, only few of them speak Hausa or Fulfude.”
When they rustle they move back to Adjja where the leaders divide the “spoils” and leave. Sometimes they give a portion of what they seized from local groups for the community that hosted them and provided information for them to act thus making them allies, HumAngle learnt.
HumAngle gathered that on Thursday, July 9, suspected foreign Jihadists invaded Dankoko Forest and rustled over 200 cows in the camp of Mutu.
“They operate with little resistance, making it easier for them to disarm and seize arms and ammunition from bandits and return to wherever they come from through Niger Republic,” said a source.
HumAngle further learnt that the foreign-based jihadists target Fulani militias and other armed bands rather than civilians and usually make video recordings of their activities.
Northwest Nigeria, bordering Niger Republic is a transit zone for several Jihadist terrorist organisations, such as ISGS, JNIM from the Sahel and competing domestic terrorists groups in Nigeria, such ISWAP, JAS and ANSARU.
Support Our Journalism
There are millions of ordinary people affected by conflict in Africa whose stories are missing in the mainstream media. HumAngle is determined to tell those challenging and under-reported stories, hoping that the people impacted by these conflicts will find the safety and security they deserve.
To ensure that we continue to provide public service coverage, we have a small favour to ask you. We want you to be part of our journalistic endeavour by contributing a token to us.
Your donation will further promote a robust, free, and independent media.
Donate Here
