FG launches offensive against new terror sect, Jambs

The Federal Government has launched an offensive against a little known terror group, Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi Biladis Sudan, which roughly translates as Vanguards for the Aid of Muslims in Black Africa.

Saturday PUNCH’s investigations showed that security agents had intensified their investigation of the brains behind the new group.

It was learnt that security agents were banking on detained members of Boko Haram and JAMBS to unmask the people behind the new sect.

JAMBS is said to be in its embryonic stage, though deadly like any other terror group.

Security sources told our correspondent that intelligence reports indicated that JAMBS is an offshoot of Boko Haram – the result of the fragmentation of the deadly sect.

It was learnt that JAMBS was created by Boko Haram commanders who were disenchanted with the leadership style of the extremist group’s spiritual leader, Mohammed Shekau.

The new sect, which had claimed responsibility for various acts of hostage-taking and the November 26, 2012 attack on the Special Anti-robbery Squad detention centre in Abuja, has been under security watch, findings by Saturday PUNCH have shown.

The group, which is believed to be affiliated to the Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb, said it was behind the recent kidnap of a French engineer, Francis Colump, in Katsina, citing France’s push for military intervention in Mali as justification.

The sect stressed in a statement that it would continue to launch attacks on the French government and its citizens as long as the government maintained its alleged hostile stance against veiled women in France as well as the European country’s support for military intervention in Mali.

It was gathered that the new group is engaged in low level insurgence against security agencies and the civil populace in parts of the country, but security operatives would not want to give it publicity by acknowledging its existence and capability.

“We are not closing our eyes to the activities of the new sect; in fact, they have been under our radar for sometime, but we don’t want to give them legitimacy by acknowledging them. That is why it seems as if security agencies are ignorant of their antics, but that is far from the truth,” a security source stated.

Findings indicated that while security agencies were seriously focused on rooting out Boko Haram, the new sect was not seen as a major problem because it is believed to be “a mere branch of the Boko Haram tree and once the tree is felled, the branches will wither,” a source said.

When contacted, Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, said the police were determined to tackle terror groups and sundry criminals in the country.

“Our mission is to fight crime and fight it effectively; our approach is a holistic one and I think its high time Nigerians appreciated that our strategies are working. Our determination to fight crime headlong is unshakeable and we will continue to record success against crime and criminality in this year,” Mba said.

Meanwhile, the Christian Association of Nigeria has described the emergence of JAMBS as “the same finger of a leprous hand.”

According to the association, the change in name from Boko Haram to another group is to elicit attention and pave way for negotiation.

The Public Relations Officer of the 19 Northern States of CAN and Abuja, Mr. Sunny Oibe, said in an interview with Saturday PUNCH on Friday that the Federal Government should not enter into dialogue with them because they are “criminals.”

He said, “Whether you call them a new Islamic group or Boko Haram, it is the same finger of a leprous hand; all of them are the same and their agenda is one. The Islamisation of this country and intimidation of Christians so that there won’t be Christianity in the Northern part of the country is part of their agenda. It is just changing from Boko Haram to another group for them to get attention.

“The emergence of the new group is to get attention and our position is that there should be no dialogue with criminals. You cannot use your left hand to point fingers in your father’s eyes and such intimidation is not acceptable.”

Punch Nigeria