Yesterday, the
Federal Government through the honourable Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji
Lai Mohammed warned that Boko Haram terrorists, having been smoked out of their
safe havens by the military, are planning another sensational abduction of
pupils/students or foreigners in a desperate effort to raise funds, through
ransom, for food, medical and arms supply.
The Minister of
Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed stated this in a statement
released by his Special Assistant, Segun Adeyemi.
The statement reads
“while the largely
defeated terrorists have now concentrated their attacks on soft targets, like
motor parks, schools and entertainment centres, they have been decimated to a
level that they are now incapable of staging spectacular attacks like they used
to do.
‘’The kidnap of the
Chibok girls in 2014, which attracted global attention to the terrorist group,
is what it is now trying to repeat, hoping it can find vulnerable targets,
especially schools, or a group of foreigners outside the frontline states. The
plan by Boko Haram is also part of an overall strategy by the terrorists to
seek to negatively impact on the psyche of the gallant troops who have routed
them (terrorists) from their stronghold and also give the impression that they
have not been largely defeated by the December 2015 deadline given by this
Administration to effectively degrade the insurgency in the North-east.
‘’This is why we have
decided to issue this alert to enable the authorities of both public primary
and secondary schools in remote locations, particular in the Northern states,
to upgrade security arrangements.
‘’It is also aimed at
alerting the general public, operators of hotels and entertainment centres,
motor parks and similar facilities to also upgrade their security arrangements
for the holidays,’’ the Minister said.
‘’Smoked out of their
hideouts and badly bruised by our gallant military, the Boko Haram terrorists
are desperate, especially in the face of the depletion of their food supplies.
In their desperation, they will not hesitate to embark on actions they feel can
still make them relevant or enhance their survival. But the military is ready
and able to prevent that,’’ the statement read.
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