Troops under Operation Safe Haven have uncovered a plot by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) to set up operational bases in Plateau and Bauchi states.
According to a statement released on Sunday by the media officer of OPSH, Major Samson Zhakom, the operation led to the arrest of two suspected ISWAP members during a sting operation conducted on April 11 in the Yelwa area of Shendam Local Government Area, Plateau State.
The suspects—25-year-old Abdulkadir Dalhatu and Ubaidu Hassan—were reportedly operating as tailors to conceal their real mission of facilitating ISWAP’s expansion into Nigeria’s North-Central region.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the duo were sent by an ISWAP commander to set up new cells in Plateau and Bauchi,” the statement said.
In a separate operation, troops of Sector 4 OPSH raided the hideout of a wanted criminal in Mazat village, Barkin Ladi LGA. Although the suspect managed to escape before the troops arrived, an AK-47 rifle, a magazine, and other buried items were recovered from the building.
Also, troops of Sector 2, acting on credible intelligence, ambushed a group of bandits along the Pinau-Bangalala road in Wase LGA. One bandit was killed, while others fled with gunshot wounds.
Meanwhile, tragedy struck the Zogu community in Miango District, Bassa LGA, as terrorists reportedly killed a man and his two sons in an early morning attack on Saturday.
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According to the Irigwe Development Association, the victims were 56-year-old Weyi Gebeh and his sons Zhu (25) and Henry (16).
Reacting to the attack, IDA’s spokesperson, Jugo, said, “The way criminal elements invade our motherland and kill with impunity seems to suggest a more sinister motive than mere reprisal for alleged wrongs.
“IDA therefore calls on the Plateau State government and the security to do the needful and stop the killing of innocent people in Irigwe land.”
