Nigeria’s National Security Adviser (NSA), Major General Babagana Monguno (rtd), has identified Jama’at Nasr al-Islam Wal Muslimin (JNIM), the Islamic and Muslim Support Group (GSIM) and Islamic State in Greater Sahara (ISGS) as groups advancing terror activities in Nigeria and other Sahel countries.
The NSA urged Islamic preachers and Imams to deploy their vantage positions to canvas support for ongoing counter-terrorism operations.
He observed that alliances between the clerics and security forces “should be the backbone to rebuilding our terrorism infested communities”.
The NSA spoke at the 14th Workshop of the League of Ulamas, Preachers and Imams of Sahel countries in Abuja.
He said: “Terrorism and the rapid escalation of violent activities by militant Islamist groups in the Sahel since 2016 have been primarily driven by the Islamic State in Greater Sahara (ISGS), which mainly operates in Mali and extends to Niger Republic and Burkina Faso.
“It is bolstered by activities of groups such as Jama’at Nasr al-Islam Wal Muslimin (JNIM), the Islamic and Muslim Support Group (GSIM) and ISGS, which have continued to pose an imminent threat to the stability of the region.
“In Nigeria, Boko-Haram and Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) dominate terrorist activities, especially in the North-Eastern part of the country.
“The situation in the Sahel has never been grimmer, extremist violence continues to spread; the number of internally displaced persons (IDPS) is growing; and food insecurity is affecting more people than ever before.
“There are several not entirely congruent working hypothesis underpinning foreign and regional government strategies”.
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