Nigeria Police speaks on alleged invasion of fresh jihadists in Sokoto

The police force has cleared the air on allegations of new terrorist movement emerging in Sokoto

Sokoto police command spokesperson Nwade said the people being called Jihadists were actually herdsmen from Mali

She explained that the security forces did not move against them because they come seasonally and are generally peaceful

The Nigeria Police Force has denied reports that a new Jihadist movement has surfaced in Sokoto state in the northwestern part of the country.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Sokoto Police Command on Saturday, December 1 dispelled rumours of influx of extremists into the state

Making the clarification was spokesperson of the Command DSP Cordelia Nwawe while addressing newsmen on Saturday in Sokoto.

Nwawe said: “Our attention was drown toward a report that some unknown herdsmen were sighted in Gudu and Tangaza local government called Jahadists fully armed to destroy the peace in the area.

“The situation was misreported based on our intelligence report.

“The herdsmen sighted are reasonably believed to be Malians who reside in a forest in Niger Republic, sharing border with Gudu and Tangaza local government areas of the state.

“The herdsmen are annual visitors to the nearby forest bordering the two local governments with their cattle and always stayed in the forest in Niger Republic.

“Even though the number of their cattle increased exponentially this year to about 3,000 from the usual figures of less than 1000, it was discovered that they are not known to be violent.

“Moreover, they occasionally enter the villages in the two local governments to procure food and other essentials and retire back to the forest.”

Recall that the press had earlier reported about claims of a new terrorist group, which members brandish sophisticated weapons, said to have taken control of Tangaza, a local government area located in Sokoto state applying its own laws on this supposed territory.

The report quoted a witness as suggesting that members of the militant group seem to be from Niger Republic.

The witness claims that the group is in possession of assorted weapons and that its members preach Islamic teachings and forcefully collecting alms (zakat). According to the report, defaulters are flogged by the members.

The report said the members of the group are allegedly yet to be identified by names, but they have operated in the local government area for two months.