DSS Director Raises Alarm Over Plans By ISWAP To Attack Some States

A Director with the Department of State Security (DSS), Babagana Bulama has disclosed information that terrorists are planning suicide attacks on some vulnerable communities and security outfits in the northeast.

Bulama who is the DSS Director for Adamawa State revealed that terrorists loyal to the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) are the ones behind the plans.

Naija News understands he said this on Thursday at the 2022 first zonal quarterly conference of state directors of security in the northeast region.

The DSS top shot stated that what he said is based on intelligence gathering.

He added that some terrorists who fled Mali due to increased military pressure are converging at the Lake Chad area in Nigeria while other criminal elements including kidnappers and bandits are making use of ungoverned forest and mountain areas as a hideout.

“Although attacks by the insurgents in parts of the zone recently reduced owing to counter terrorism operations by security forces, available intelligence has indicated that ISWAP is training [members on] suicide bombing with a view to carrying out deadly attacks on security agencies and vulnerable communities,” NAN quoted him to have said.

“Most worrisome is recent intelligence on the convergence of elements of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) in the Lake Chad area within Nigerian territory.

“These terrorists who fled Mali following increased military pressure from Russian mercenaries, see the Lake Chad area as safe haven and apparently, have come to support ISWAP to continue its terrorist activities.

“Furthermore, kidnappers and bandits have persistently exploited the vast ungoverned spaces (mountains and forests) in the zone as hideouts from where they carry out their nefarious activities.

“Investigations indicated that some of these criminal elements came from the north-west and north-central zones where they were dislodged by security forces.”

Despite all these, he, however, said the DSS remains committed to the task of securing the nation.

The Borno State Governor, Prof Babagana Zulum was represented at the event by his Chief of Staff, Isa Marte, and pledged his administration’s support to curbing the challenges of insecurity.