ISWAP attacks Chibok village, abducts head of Civilian JTF

Insurgents believed to be members of the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) group, yesterday, attacked Bambula community in Chibok Local Government Area of Borno State, leaving behind tears and sorrow.
The insurgents, who reportedly struck by 4am when the community was asleep, abducted Mohammed Abba, head of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) vigilance group.
The attack came a week after the insurgents attacked Korongilum in Chibok, setting many houses on fire.
A resident said Abba had been the insurgents’ target since he refused to be compromised. The head of the CJTF was abducted alongside many others who are yet to be identified.
The CJTF was created to assist the military in fighting insurgency in the North-East.
“The sporadic gunshots woke us, and everybody started running to safety,” a resident said. “The insurgents came in through Ajigum Talala, a part of the forest where ISWAP has a strong unit. They headed straight to Abba and took him. They have been warning him before but Abba refused to cooperate with them.
“They abducted many others who could not run. They also burnt down some properties, including a vehicle belonging to the community head.”
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has charged the Nigerian military to re-examine strategies deployed in combatting ISWAP in the North-East.
The President gave the directive at the opening of the 10th National Security, organised by the alumni association of the National Defence College (AANDEC) in Abuja, yesterday.
The seminar, with the theme: “Combating Insecurity in Nigeria,” was organised in collaboration with the Office National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the National Defence College.
Buhari, represented by the Minister of Defence, Maj.Gen. Bashir Magashi (retd), said new threats from insurgents and terrorists emerged due to the defeat of ISIS.
“This is a major concern and threat to us; their presence in the West African Sahel region poses great danger not only to Nigeria but the entire region.
Thus we are exploring higher levels of collaboration among nations and international organisations to effectively curtail the spread of terrorism and defeat insurgency and terrorism.
Our forces over the years have worked hard to defeat Boko Haram and they will as well re-examine their strategies to deal with ISWAP that has invaded parts of the country.
“The criminal elements using kidnapping and other criminal activities as a way to get rich quick should either stop such acts forthwith or face the full weight of the law as security agencies have a renewed mandate to deal with such acts of criminality,’’ he said.
Buhari said the Federal Government would continue to prioritise security, adding that the seminar was necessary, especially at this time when government was making efforts to ensure sustainable peace in the country.
He said AANDEC’s close collaboration with the ONSA, NDC and other security agencies presented desired collaborative efforts towards addressing major security issues and challenges facing the country.
“As we all know, security should be the concern of everyone, hence we must all corporate and work collaboratively to address security issues from all perspectives, be it physical or human.
The nexus between physical and human security makes it necessary for all ministries, departments and agencies to be highly productive.
States and local governments should also view workers’ welfare with utmost priority, while all security agencies in particular must deal appropriately with extremist tendencies that are capable of affecting peace and development of the nation, according to the law. The National Security Strategy 2019 is very clear on these and we shall implement every aspect of it.”
President of AANDEC, Garba Audu, a retired major general, disclosed that the seminar was organised with a view to proffering solutions to national security challenges. He said the seminar would focus on some key security challenges, such as negotiations with bandits in some parts of the country.