Wednesday 15th December 2021: The National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno (retd.), has listed at least three Islamic groups backing the activities of terrorist organisations in Nigeria and the Sahel.
According to Mongunu, the groups are the Jama’at Nasr al-Islam Wal Muslimin, the Islamic and Muslim Support Group and Islamic State in Greater Sahara.
The NSA disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja at the 14th workshop of the league of Ulamas, preachers and Imams of Sahel countries.
He implored Islamic Imams and preachers to use their exalted positions to rally support for ongoing counter-terrorism operations, adding that alliances between the clerics and security forces “should be the backbone of rebuilding our terrorism infested communities.”
Mongunu 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, 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, the Islamic and Muslim Support Group and the 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 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 is growing; and food insecurity is affecting more people than ever before. There are several not entirely congruent working hypotheses underpinning foreign and regional government strategies.”
The NSA added that it was imperative to reassess and reset the strategy towards the Sahel, setting aside faulty assumptions.