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| Nigeria to root out radical Islamists
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Abuja, Nigeria (PANA) -
Worried by the violence being perpetrated in the norther
n part of the country by the self-styled Taliban Islamic group,
Nigeria's President Umaru Yar’Adua said defence and security forces had been man
dated to immediately launch a major operation in a section of
the Borno State capital, Maiduguri, to root out the leader and remaining members
of the sect.
The President, who confirmed that Mohammed Yusuf, leader of the 'Boko Haram' (We
stern education is a sin) group, is residing in that area of
Maiduguri, said most members of the sect migrated from all the northern states t
o (Borno) go and launch a holy war.
Yar'Adua spoke to journalists at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Int
ernational Airport in the capital city of Abuja, just before he left on
a three-day official visit to Brazil Tuesday.
The President, who disclosed that he had just finished a meeting with the nation
’s defence and security chiefs, said it was the security agencies that first
launched a preemptive action against the extremists after “tracking them for yea
rs”, adding that once the operation in Maiduguri was completed, there would
be a continuous security surveillance all over the northern states to fish out a
ny remnants of the group, who are to be deal with “squarely and promptly.”
``There has been very serious action. In fact, we have a situation under control
now and I believe by the end of today (Tuesday) everything will have taken
shape. I have been monitoring this situation in the last few days. By yesterday
(Monday), the situation in Bauchi State has been contained completely and the
crisis in Kano and Potiskum has also been dealt with.
``What we have now is a situation in Borno State, where the leader of the so-cal
led Taliban group is residing and where most of them have migrated from
all the northern states to go, prepare and declare the holy war. We are going to
launch an operation, the main operation with immediate effect. I have just fini
s
hed
a meeting with our Defence Chiefs, who have been in constant contact with the Go
vernors of Borno, Bauchi, Kano and other (Northern) States,'' the President
assured.
Analysts said the group, which has been in existence for about five years, has g
rown in number, but no one is sure of the total number of its members.
The aim of the group is to impose the Taliban-style strict Islamic Sharia law on
the predominantly-Muslim northern states, create a sort of puritanical governme
n
t
to deal with those considered to be 'infidels'
The Nigerian authorities have not given a total figure of those who died in the
recent clashes between the sect and the security agencies across four states - B
a
uchi, Yobe, Borno and Kano.
But the police said 39 sect members were killed in Bauchi state alone, while the
local media put the number of those who died in other states at several dozens.
According to the police, about 200 sect members have also been arrested and will
soon be prosecuted.
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| Abuja - 28/07/2009 |
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