There are indications that suspected terrorists in the North are relocating following the missile attacks carried out by the United States of America on Thursday night.

Credible community leaders told Sunday PUNCH that they noticed movements as the hoodlums migrated in small numbers after the Christmas Day attacks.

President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that the US military carried out deadly strikes against Islamic State terrorists in northwestern Nigeria.

Confirming the strike, the Federal Government said it gave the US support and that the strikes were carried out on targeted areas being used by the terrorists.

However, no casualty was recorded in the two locations struck by the missiles.

At Jabo, Tambuwal Local Government Area of Sokoto State, a missile hit a farmland, while some buildings were affected in Offa, Kwara State.

Officials of Tangaza LGA in Sokoto State, however, said additional missile strikes were carried out on suspected hideouts of the Lakurawa armed group in parts of the Sokoto axis.

Although there were no deaths, several residents sustained injuries, while properties worth millions of naira were destroyed.

Influx of bandits in Benue

The Chairman of the Traditional Council in Gwer West LGA of Benue State, Daniel Abomtse, raised the alarm over the influx of armed herders into some communities following the US strike.

Speaking to one of our correspondents on Saturday, the traditional ruler said he noticed the presence of armed herders in his domain.

He said, “I felt their movement in my local government as well as in Agatu LGA. They have been running away from Sokoto to coastal areas in Gwer West and Agatu with sophisticated arms and grazing openly. They are in my domain.”

While appreciating the US strike, Abomtse called on Trump to extend the operations to Benue, Kogi, Taraba, Niger and Plateau states.

“What President Trump has done is the best thing to have happened to the government of Nigeria. I commend him for dealing with the menace in the country, which began about 16 years ago,” he added.

Efforts to get confirmation of Abomtse’s claims from the spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command, Udeme Edet, were unsuccessful, as her phone rang out and messages sent were not replied to as of the time of filing this report.

Sokoto terrorists in disarray

Security sources and residents said the Christmas attacks had disrupted the operations of bandits and forced them out of their hideouts.

Community leaders in Tangaza, Gudu and parts of Illela in Sokoto told Sunday PUNCH that there had been signs of dislocation and movement among armed groups since the strike.

According to some of them, who spoke on condition of anonymity, some bandits were seen moving in smaller numbers towards remote forest corridors, while others were believed to have attempted crossing into neighbouring border communities to evade aerial and ground surveillance.

A community leader in Tangaza said the airstrike “sent a strong signal” and forced criminal elements to abandon familiar routes and camps.

“People are cautious, but there is relief that their hideouts were hit,” he added.

Government officials in Sokoto State said intelligence assessments were ongoing to determine the direction and scale of bandit movement after the strike.

A senior official said security agencies had been placed on alert to prevent terrorists from infiltrating safer communities, stressing that border patrols and joint operations with federal forces were being intensified to block escape routes.

A security expert, Bashar Umar, said the state government, in collaboration with the military and other security agencies, was strengthening surveillance across flashpoints, particularly in border local governments to curb the terrorists’ movement.

US scans Sambisa Forest

A United States congressman, Riley Moore, said the strikes prevented “deadly Christmas attacks in Nigeria”.

Moore, who stated this on Saturday on X, noted that Christians in Nigeria were killed in the last two Christmas seasons.

“This year, thanks to @POTUS, radical Islamic terrorists were on the receiving end of 12 Tomahawk missiles as a present.

“The successful strikes on ISIS, in coordination with the Nigerian government, are just the first step to secure the country and end the slaughter of our brothers and sisters in Christ,” Moore added.

It was learnt that the US had resumed surveillance operations in the Sambisa Forest, Borno State.

A Sahel-focused terrorism tracker, Brant Philip, disclosed this on X on Saturday, sharing flight-tracking data indicating that an aircraft was operating over Borno State.

According to the post, the aircraft identified was a Gulfstream V, a long-range business jet commonly modified for ISR missions.

“The United States resumed ISR operations today on ISWAP in the Sambisa forest, Borno State in North-East Nigeria, after a pause of one day following the strikes in Sokoto State,” he wrote.

Terrorists dislocated, may seek international support – Experts

A security analyst and Chief Executive Officer of Beacon Consulting, Kabiru Adamu, said fleeing terrorists might attempt to cohabit with law-abiding citizens.

Adamu, a resident of Sokoto, said the terrorists might also seek support from international terror groups and governments sympathetic to their cause.

He called on security agencies to enhance surveillance capabilities to monitor terrorist movements and prevent infiltration of safe areas.

Adamu said, “There is going to be dislocation after the US strike. The terrorists will leave known locations and most likely try to integrate with law-abiding communities.

“They will also spin a narrative that a Christian country, the United States, is attacking Muslims in Nigeria. They will not say they are terrorists but will use this to gather support or sympathy.

“They will seek support from other terror groups around the world, including membership, tactics and funding. Nigeria may become a theatre of terror conflict as a result.

“Propaganda is another strategy they will adopt after the attacks, especially in cyberspace. They are likely to release fake news and propaganda materials to drive support and attract funding and membership.”

Also, a Professor of Political Science and Defence Studies at the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna, Tar Usman, said the US military onslaught would distract the terrorists from planning and executing attacks as they grapple with the reality that a powerful global nation had joined forces with Nigeria.

According to him, the uncertainty surrounding possible future strikes will heighten fear among the terrorists and disrupt their operations.

“We do not know when next they (US) will strike, so there will be panic in the camp of the terrorists, and that is a good one for us because it will distract them from carrying out their notorious activities,” he added.

He explained that insurgent groups often take advantage of periods of calm to plan attacks, but noted that the current situation could deny them that opportunity.

Usman, however, cautioned that the intervention would not automatically bring an end to terrorism, warning that the groups could adopt new tactics.

He said, “I can also see a situation where they will try to disappear and mix with the public, but with vigilance, I hope our intelligence agencies would intercept them.

“We should not be under any illusion that they will abandon their notorious activities instantly. Maybe in the fullness of time, we will see the full impact of the US intervention.”

A top government source told Sunday PUNCH that the US and Nigeria were collaborating to end killings, banditry and kidnapping.

The source disclosed that some of the terrorists were escaping to Kogi and neighbouring states, adding that measures were being put in place to flush them out. (Courtesy of Sunday PUNCH)

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