Nigeria’s General Election May Suffer Setback amid Rising Insecurity Threats…

Date:

In the just concluded week, a report from The Wall Street Journal stated that Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP), an affiliate of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), could disrupt the forthcoming general elections in Nigeria.

Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!

According to the report, ISWAP which is working closely with its leaders in Niger and Chad, had been provided with trained fighters who returned from Libya and the Middle East. It also stated that unlike the Boko Haram, who focused on killing civilians, ISWAP’s estimated 5,000 soldiers had focused their attacks on security bases and the non-governmental agencies as they receive tactical advice from Syria.

Given its sophistication, in terms of lethal weaponry and mode of attacks on soldiers, Nigeria’s security officials had described them (ISWAP) as “a bigger threat than Boko Haram”.

The WSJ report which was very much in line with the recent statement by the United States Government that ISWAP was planning to attack security forces, infrastructure and public places in Nigeria during the general election, revealed that the dreaded group, led by Abu Musab al-Barnawi, had control of over hundreds of square miles of Nigerian territory, and traders as well as herders in those areas are allowed to go on with their normal businesses once they obey their (ISWAP’s) rules.

Nevertheless, the Nigerian Army and Navy have both pledged their support to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by deploying 95% of their men across the country in the forthcoming 2019 general election.

Meanwhile, bandits operating mostly in the North-western region of Nigeria, attacked Gusau Local Government in Zamfara State, killed Ade Marafa, a sister to the serving Senator, Kabiru Marafa, representing Zamfara Central and abducted her husband on Monday, February 4, 2018.

One of the villages in Gusau Local Government, Ruwan Bore, was reportedly razed down in the attack that lasted for almost three days. The free reign of terror by bandits, in Zamfara State in particular, has been rampant in recent times.

This was despite the call by the State Governor, Abdul-aziz Yari Abubakar, for state of emergency as well as the deployment of about 2,000 special forces to the state.

The WSJ’s report corroborates our earlier view that Boko Haram, an erstwhile ragtag team of militants, have metamorphosed to a more formidable fighting force and remain a present danger to the existence of Nigeria, having overran and looted military bases in Malete and Baga local government in Borno State in November and December 2018 respectively (see Cowry Weekly Financial Market review Outlook dated 30/Nov/2018).

Ahead of the general election, we expect the Nigerian military to provide support to INEC, but at a material distance from the polling units in order not to scare the electorate, while abiding by the rules of engagement as they professionally mitigate any form of election disruption.

Share post:

Subscribe

Popular

More like this
Related

Kaduna Governor Advocates for State Police Amidst Banditry Challenges

Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, emphasized the urgent need...

EFCC Retrieves 324 Houses for Kano Pensioners in Alleged N4.1 Billion Property Fraud

Yesterday, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) handed...

“More CBN Directors Face Dismissal Amidst Controversy”

Twelve additional directors of the Central Bank of Nigeria...

NNPCL’s Kyari to Feature Prominently at 2024 CERAWeek Conference

Mr. Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of...

Discover more from Naija247news

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading