Terrorism: Niger dislodges radical Islamic sect camp
World

Terrorism: Niger dislodges radical Islamic sect camp

by Joseph Anthony
written by Joseph Anthony

Niger State government on Wednesday dislodged members of a radical and controversial Islamic group, Madinatu Muheenu Nibassiya Islamic sect operating inside a forest near Lapai, Lapai Local Government area of the state.

This is coming five years after a similar group – Darul Islam Sect was dislodged from a village near Mokwa town.

No fewer than 240 members of the sect, mostly young men and women found in the camp situated inside the forest on the outskirts of the town were disloged  by joint military group led by Lt. Col Adamu Yakubu and over 40 thatched roof houses built of straws and a new building were levelled down.

The sect, under the leadership of Sheik Mohammed Abubakar had been at logger heads with members of the public and the traditional ruler of the town, Etsu Lapai, Alhaji Umar Bago Tafida, who accused the leader of the sect of teaching and propagating wrong doctrines that have no root in Islam.

Members of the group were also accused of fomenting trouble, attacking people who do not share their views, engaging in promiscuous activities and forcefully conducting marriages and dissolving them at will, while members see other Muslims as not well informed like them.

The problem of the sect heightened when state government on May 13 revoked the Certificate of Occupancy of the land on which the camp was situated following complaints by members of the public that the sect was using the camp as training ground for terrorists.

A special task force set up by the state government to dislodge and evacuate members of the sect later swung into action by ferrying the sect members out of the camp to their local government areas except for two members who are from Kwara State.

The Nation learnt that the spiritual leader of the sect and three of his lieutenants are now under interrogation by a security agency in an undisclosed location.

Addressing members of the task force earlier before the evacuation exercise, Etsu Lapai, Alhaji Umaru Bago Tafida commended the action of the state government in dislodging the group from their camp, saying, “if no action is taken now, the sect will grow to become a terror that will consume all. Already members of the sect have been harassing people unprovoked in the town.

Speaking, on the development, the Secretary to the State Government, Hon. Ndako Idris, said government revoked the land allocation when it was discovered that the land was fraudulently acquired.

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