Boko Haram says it has declared War on Borno, Yobe Youths over Vigilante Activities
A
spokesperson for the Boko Haram, Abu Zinnira, has said his group will
launch a manhunt for youth in Borno and Yobe states who partake in
vigilante activities to identify and arrest members of the terrorist
group.
Some
youth in both states have formed vigilante groups to assist the
Nigerian military to identify and arrest the terrorists in the towns.
Their activities have been commended by the presidency and the military;
but has now put them in a battle with the terrorists.
Abu
Zinnira said his group is also waging a bloody war against the
government of Borno and Yobe States in reaction to the massive arrest of
their members by youth in the states.
The terrorists’ spokesman, stated these in a statement written in Hausa and emailed to journalists.
He
added that they are waging a war against the Nigerian state in order to
establish a Sharia legal system. He said while they maintain their
hostility against the police, soldiers, politicians and other symbols of
authority, they have now added the youth in these states to their
kill-list.
“We
have established that the youth in Borno and Yobe states are now
against our course. They have connived with security operatives and are
actively supporting the government of Nigeria in its war against us. We
have also resolved to fight back,” he said.
Some
members of the youth groups, who did not want their identity disclosed
for security reasons, have also vowed to continue their fight against
the Boko Haram insurgents in Maiduguri, saying that they will not be
deterred from carrying out their mission and there will be no going
back.
Borno and
Yobe, as well as Adamawa, are under emergency rule with heavy deployment
of soldiers by the federal government. This has, however, not stopped
the terrorists who have killed dozens of people in separate attacks in
the states.
