The Department of State Services said in
Abuja on Tuesday that it had arrested a student of the Federal
University of Technology, Minna, Abdussalam Yunusa, who was recruiting
for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
A statement issued by the spokesperson for the security agency, Mr. Tony Opuiyo, said that the suspect was arrested in Kano.
He said that the arrest of the suspect
was sequel to available intelligence, which he said indicated the
suspect’s terrorist antecedents and covert drive to indoctrinate and
recruit susceptible youths in the country.
The statement said, “On January 17, 2016
one Abdussalam Yunusa, a recruiter for the Islamic State of Iraq and
Syria was arrested in Kano.
“His arrest was sequel to available
intelligence which indicated his terrorism antecedents and covert drive
to indoctrinate and recruit susceptible youths in the country.”
Before his arrest, Opuiyo said that
Yunusa had completed arrangements to embark on a journey to join an ISIS
terrorist training camp in Libya, with other Nigerians whom he
recruited for the group.
He gave the names of the recruited ones as Muhammed Rabi’u, Yahaya Jimoh and a female, Zainab Sunday.
He said that Yunusa was a 400-level
undergraduate of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger
State, where he was studying for a degree in Information and Media
Technology before his arrest.
He was alleged to be a member of an
extremist cell, comprising one Ibrahim and Abubakar Ligali, whom he
(Yunusa) revealed was currently undergoing terrorist training in Libya.
Yunusa was said to have listed a
Republic of Niger national, Ibrahim Jihad, and one Aminu as other ISIS
agents operating in Nigeria and West African.
The cell was said to be funded by one Abu-sa’ad Al Sudani, a media expert with the extremist group.
The statement said the group was funding terrorist activities through electronic money transfers.
Opuiyo added that the DSS had on January
17, 2016 in Daura, Katsina State, intercepted another budding extremist
cell affiliated to the ISIS.
He said, “One Ibrahim Daura, Zaharadeen
Salisu and five other elements of the proscribed extremist group,
Ansaru, were arrested by the DSS.
“This group was discovered in an active
stage as its members were already coordinating themselves for attacks in
Katsina and Kano states.”
In the same vein, Opuiyo said that the
DSS also made some arrests on January 22, 2016 when it apprehended
Obansa Salami, Ejide Tijani aka Abu Uwaise II, Mohammed Rabiu aka Ubida
II, Zainab Mohammed and Abdulqadir Ahmad, in Kano while migrating to
Libya with their immediate families, including infants – in a bid to
join the ISIS.
He said the members of the group were apprehended after a painstaking monitoring of their network and plans.
Also on January 29, 2016 the DSS arrested Mohammed Ndako in Kwara State, Opuiyo said.
Ndako was said to be a 17-year-old undergraduate of a tertiary institution in the Kwara State.
He was said to have been arrested
following a report of his plans with one Abdulkadir Salisu Ahmad aka
Daddy Tall, who is another student in Kano State, to carry out
coordinated attacks on populated targets in Nigeria such as worship
centres or recreation centres.
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