Director General of the Department of State Security,
Ekpenyong Ita, yesterday, assured that the service and other security
agencies are working with other stakeholders including the media towards
ensuring that the activities of the Boko Haram sect are brought under
total control for peace to reign in the country.
Ita who
gave the assurance at the opening of a one week training programe for
media practitioners in Abuja, disclosed that activities of the sect have
turned to a full scale business venture for its leaders. According to
him, recent discovery of the main objective of the terrorist group runs
contrary to the earlier claims by the group that they are actually
fighting a religious war.
Criminal activities
The
group he said actually started as an extremist religious group under
the late Mohammed Yusuf, but later transformed into a business venture,
as the sect members are now make good living out of their criminal
activities.
Assuring Nigerian public of the capability and
readiness of the security agencies in the country to restore peace, Mr.
Ita noted that activities of the group have not in anyway overwhelmed
them. He declared: “we are not overwhelmed, we can never be overwhelmed
and we will never be overwhelmed. We are up to the task”.
He said
that despite continued bombing of innocent persons across the northern
region of the country he assured that the group will soon be put out of
business, describing the group as enemies of the common man which should
be jointly fought by all and sundry.
Armed robbery
Giving
an insight into activities of the group, he disclosed that the service
has confirmed from some high ranking members of the group that they
mainly engage in armed robbery and share the loot with the leaders
taking the lion share. Explaining how the loot are shared, he said that
“what is brought in is divided into five portions with the leader given a
portion and the rest four divided among those who took part in the
robbery, while a portion will be given to alleged widows, the less
privileged and as well, the elderly.
“However, the four groups
aside the leaders are forced to pay “zakat” which in turn are remitted
into the account of the leaders who use such proceeds to purchase exotic
cars and flaunt their wealth which run contrary to the tenet of Islam
which they allegedly profess.”
He appealed to the media to
contribute to the fight against the group by stifling the terrorist
group of publicity which he noted, they crave to instil fear into the
minds of the citizens.
According to him, terrorists across the
world take delight and grow when they are given publicity as he urged
media house owners and practitioners to stop giving “oxygen” to the
terrorists, who will die with force mounted on them by the security
operatives and as well, ably supported by media blank out.
He
noted that national security should be paramount in the minds of
practitioners as media owners can only flourish and enjoy the fruits of
their labour in a society devoid of crisis and insecurity.
In his
presentation, the guest speaker, Alhaji Musa Maiyaki, Acting Director
General of Nigeria Television Authority said that there is the need for
cooperation among stakeholders especially the media and security
agencies to an end the activities of the evil group to restore peace and
stability to the nation.
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